Feb. 18, 2005

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's tennis team (3-4 overall) will continue its road schedule at ranked opponents with a Saturday contest at No. 33 Mississippi State, Saturday, at 1 p.m. This will be the Tigers' fourth ranked road opponent (No. 20 Vanderbilt, No. 25 Tennessee, No. 26 Oklahoma State, No. 44 Tulsa) in seven meetings, as the Tigers look to build on a 6-1 win over Tennessee Tech last Friday.

Mississippi State is 4-2 and is on a two-match winning streak, including a 4-3 win at no. 21 Tulane and a 5-2 win against No. 49 South Alabama.

Senior Luiz Carvalho has posted a 1-4 mark at No. 1 singles for the Bulldogs, also teaming with Jose-Carlos Pinto for a 4-0 mark at No. 1 doubles. Ivan Bjelica is 3-2 at No. 2 singles, and Philippe Frayssinoux is 2-2 at No. 3 singles, a slot that three different Bulldogs have played this season. Pierre Mouillon and Florent Girod have played the most matches at No. 5 and 6 singles, with Mouillon bringing a 3-1 mark at No. 5 while Girod is 3-0 at No. 6. The Bulldogs are 3-0 at home so far this season and are 2-1 against C-USA foes, defeating No. 72 UAB 6-1, then falling 4-3 to No. 48 Louisville before the Tulane win. This will be one of two remaining non-conference opponents for MSU, as the Bulldogs will head into SEC play beginning with Kentucky on March 4th.

The Tigers have been led by the duo of senior Alex Bucewicz and junior James Spence. Bucewicz is 0-2 at No. 1 singles, while Spence is 3-2 at No. 1 singles. Both also play the top two doubles spots, with Bucewicz and Marten Tamla sporting a 2-1 mark at No. 2 singles, while Spence and Scott Felsenthal are 3-3 at No. 1 singles.

Live stats will be available for Tiger fans to watch during the match, courtesy of Mississippi State. To get the live stats link, go to www.gotigersgo.com and in the right hand column of Upcoming Events, click Live Stats under the men's tennis entry.

Memphis will then travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to compete in the Conference USA shootout. The Tigers, the No. 3 seed, will face No. 6 seed DePaul, at 1:30 p.m., Friday, with the winner advancing to face top seed TCU at 1:30 p.m., Saturday.