TEMPE, Ariz. – 15th ranked men’s tennis will look to rebound, taking on three talented opponents between Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Diablo College Tennis Invitational, opening the tournament against No. 51 Liberty on Friday at 3 p.m..
Following Friday’s match, the Spartans, the tournament’s two seed with a 12-1 record, will take on either No. 58 Boise State for a third time already this season, or the hosts, No. 23 Arizona State on Saturday with the time yet to be determined.
The four teams on the other side of the bracket that MSU could face in the finale Sunday are first-seeded and national No. 9 Arizona, No. 30 VCU, No. 36 Michigan and GCU.
Scouting No. 51 Liberty
The Flames will travel to face the Spartans with a 9-3 record, riding a four-match win streak. A common opponent between the two sides is No. 21 Princeton who bested Liberty by a score of 6-1 on Feb. 4 and MSU 4-0 in the Blue Gray Classic final last Saturday, Feb. 24. No Flames are ranked in the ITA singles or doubles rankings.
Series History vs. Liberty
The lone matchup between the Spartans and Flames saw Liberty come out on top last season, 4-1 on neutral ground on March 11, 2023.
Scouting No. 23 Arizona State
The tournament hosts the Sun Devils hold an 8-4 season record prior to their first-round matchup, on a three-match win streak. Arizona State is 2-3 against ranked opponents, having also beaten three teams in the Diablo Invite field: Michigan (4-2), GCU (4-0) and VCU (4-2).
Two Sun Devils find themselves in the ITA singles rankings: Murphy Cassone at No. 9 nationally and Bor Artnak at No. 105. In doubles play Artnak pairs with Max McKennon to make the 26th rated doubles pairing in college tennis.
Series History vs. Arizona State
The Sun Devils claimed the first and only matchup between the two teams, a 7-0 sweep in East Lansing on Feb. 9, 2020.
Scouting No. 58 Boise State
The Broncos enter their potential third matchup of the season with MSU 6-7, currently on a three-match losing streak which started with their second loss of the season at the hands of the Spartans, 4-1 last Friday, Feb. 23. MSU also defeated Boise State 5-2 in East Lansing on Feb. 2.
Senior Sam Sippel is the lone Boise State representative in the ITA player rankings, slotted as the nation’s No. 43 singles player. Graduate student Ronald Hohmann…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Michigan State University Athletics…