The 16th-ranked Georgia men’s tennis team is set to host a pair of Southeastern Conference matches this weekend at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. UGA faces No. 50 Mississippi State at 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday before rounding out the weekend on Sunday with No. 49 Alabama at 1 p.m. ET.
Georgia is 54-13 all-time against Mississippi State, and will look to bounce back after falling in Starkville last season, 4-2. UGA holds a 54-6 all-time against record against Alabama, including a 4-1 win in Tuscaloosa last year.
The Bulldogs are currently riding a 27-match winning streak in home outdoor regular season dual matches after its 6-1 victory against ETSU last weekend. The Bulldogs’ last regular season home dual loss came on March 30, 2012 to Kentucky.
2016 ITA MEN’S INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW:
The Bulldogs went 1-2 earlier this season at the 2016 ITA Men’s Indoor Championships, opening the Championships with a hard-fought, 4-3, loss to No. 4 UCLA. Georgia bounced back taking down 16th-ranked Columbia, 4-3, before falling to No. 10 Texas Tech, 4-2.
Senior Austin Smith highlighted the weekend for the Bulldogs with four wins in singles and doubles matches against ranked opponents. The Cumming, Georgia native did not lose a singles match on the weekend, going 3-0, including a dominating, 6-3, 6-2, defeat of Texas Tech’s No. 10 Hugo Dojas.
RANKINGS:
Three Georgia singles players and one doubles duo earned spots in the latest Oracle/ITA College Tennis Rankings. The doubles pair of Ben Wagland and Austin Smith moved up to No. 5 nationally after going 2-1 at the 2016 ITA Men’s Indoor National Championships in Charlottesville, Virginia. Sophomore Wayne Montgomery moved up one spot to 21st nationally after defeating No. 18 Felipe Soares of Texas Tech. Austin Smith moved to No. 27 after a perfect 3-0 singles record including three wins against ranked opponents at the Men’s Indoor Championships. Freshman Walker Duncan rounded out the rankings coming in at No. 104.
BULLDOG FRESHMEN SHINE:
Three Georgia freshmen have seen consistent time in the Bulldog’s lineup this season. The trio of Walker Duncan, Emil Reinberg and Jan Zielinski have combined for 12 singles wins and played a part in 13 doubles victories. Reinberg clinched UGA’s victory vs. ETSU with a 6-3, 7-5 on the No. 6 court.
SMITH EARNS HONOR:
No. 28-ranked senior Austin Smith was named SEC Player of the Week on Jan. 27 after going 2-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles as he helped Georgia punch its ticket to the ITA National Indoor Championships. The Cumming, Georgia, native clinched UGA’s 4-1 win against No. 44 Memphis with a three-set victories against the Tigers’ No. 87-ranked Andrew Watson at the top singles spot.
UP NEXT:
UGA hits the road to Nashville, Tenn. to face Vanderbilt on March 13 at 1 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs return to action on Friday, March 18 when they head to Columbia to face the University of South Carolina at 5 p.m. ET.
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS
For more information on the Georgia men’s tennis team, follow the team on Twitter (@UGATennis), Instagram (@ugatennis) and Facebook (UGA Men’s Tennis).