Mizzou to Face Mississippi State in Round 1 of SEC Tournament

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – With the SEC Tournament days away, the 12-seeded University of Missouri (7-19, 2-11 SEC) is slated to face 13-seed Mississippi State (11-14, 2-11 SEC) in the first round on Wednesday, April 20, at 11 a.m. CST. The Tigers defeated No. 67 Mississippi State earlier this month in a momentous 4-3 victory.

Regular Season Recap

Mizzou battled through one of its toughest competition schedules in program history. The team played 18 ITA-ranked teams (as of April 13) in its 26-game schedule, including 13 straight matches against ranked opponents.

One of this season’s historic accomplishments includes defeating two ranked SEC opponents for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Mizzou beat (then) No. 43 Kentucky and (then) No. 63 Mississippi State, both by a score of 4-3. Gabriela Martinez was responsible for clinching both matches, taking her opponents to three sets and securing each win. Martinez also scored a point for Mizzou in the match against No. 10 Georgia. This was the first singles win for Mizzou against Georgia since the program’s entrance into the SEC in 2012.

The team celebrated its two senior players, Bronte Murgett and Ellie Wright, in the match against No. 69 LSU. Murgett became the first Tiger to win the ITA Central Regional Championship, as well as the first to advance to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Singles Championship Tournament. Wright became the sixth all-time in Mizzou history for singles wins, tacking a 70-64 record, and fourth all-time for doubles wins with a record of 72-55.

SEC’s Against Mississippi State

No. 67 Mississippi State has won two SEC competitions this season, similar to Mizzou. The Bulldogs took down No. 45 Alabama and No. 58 Kentucky. Mississippi State has momentum going into the matchup against Mizzou after their most recent win against Kentucky. Mississippi State won the doubles point and singles courts one, two, and four in order to secure the match. The team currently has one ranked doubles duo (Magda Adaloglou/Chloe Cirotte) and one ranked singles player (No. 81 Emmanouela Antonaki).

Live stats and streaming will be available for the match through the link on the website. Updates via Twitter (@MizzouTennis) will also be posted throughout the competition.