Feb. 15, 2007

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's tennis team (2-2) will host No. 54 Mississippi State (1-1) in non-conference action at WellWorx Fitness Center, Friday, beginning at 6 p.m.

The Tigers are coming off a pair of 7-0 wins in their first two home matches of the season, also played at WellWorx. Memphis defeated UT Martin and Rhodes to open its home stand, but will have a stiffer battle when the Bulldogs roll in Friday night.

Mississippi State is led by two ranked singles players and a separate ranked doubles team. Junior Phillippe Frayssinoux is the No. 31 ranked singles player in the country, but is coming off a loss to Mississippi's Erving Tveit, the No. 40 ranked player in the country. Frayssinoux will look to get back on track following that match, and to inspire fellow junior Ivan Bjelica, who is the No. 32 ranked player in the country. Bjelica is also coming off a loss, this one to a non-ranked Eric Claesson of Ole Miss. Frayssinoux and Bjelica also played at the No. 1 doubles slot against Ole Miss, but are not the ranked Bulldogs doubles team. That honor belongs to a pair of freshmen -- Pjotrs Necajevs and Artem Kuznetsov, who are the No. 28 ranked doubles tandem in the country.

This will be the 26th meeting between Mississippi State and Memphis. The Tigers lead the overall series 13-12, but have dropped the last four meetings. The two teams have not played since 2003, when the Bulldogs defeated Memphis 4-3. This will be Memphis' third match against an SEC team and also their third against a ranked opponent.

The match will be played at WellWorx Fitness Center, located at 6161 Shelby Oaks Drive. Admission is free and Friday night's match will also feature free BBQ, snacks and drinks for fans. There will also be a drawing for a tennis racket, tennis bags and shirts.

First serve will open with doubles play at 6 p.m.