02/29/04
Softball
HOUSTON, Texas -- Jennifer Waterman drove in all three of Mississippi State's runs on a career high two home runs as the Bulldogs (15-6) erased an early one-run deficit with three unanswered runs of its own to scoot past Villanova (3-5), 3-1, Saturday afternoon at the Hyatt Regency Cougar Classic in Houston, Texas. Mississippi State is now 2-2 after the completion of day two in the Classic.

Mississippi State, earlier in the day, defeated BYU 2-1. In day one, Mississippi State lost their two games to Houston, 3-1, and Pittsburgh, 3-2.

With her four-baggers, Waterman, who was 2-for-3 on the day, became just the fourth player in Mississippi State history to record a pair of homers in one game. She joined Michelle Gates, former all-American Kellie Wilkerson and current all-American Iyhia McMichael on the short list. Kari Koller drove in a run on a 1-for-3 tally to pace the Wildcat offense.

MSU starter Stephanie Comeaux (5-2) worked five strong innings, scattering five hits and surrendering just a lone run to pick up the win. Kelli Miller allowed just one hit over the final two innings of the ballgame to pick up her first career save. Shannon Williams (3-2) took the loss for Villanova after being victimized with three earned runs on five hits, despite striking out five Bulldogs.

Villanova used its short game to take a lead in the first, using a Kristen Yauch single and a RBI single by Kari Koller to plate the run and get the 1-0 lead. State capitalized in its half of the second, knotting the score back up when Waterman took Williams' 1-2 offering over the fence in centerfield with the leadoff at-bat.

State got something going again in the fourth, getting Iyhia McMichael aboard via a leadoff single, then used a two-out RBI home run by Waterman to deep rightfield to take a lead it would not relinquish. Comeaux and Miller combined to allow just one hit over the last three innings to ice the win.

Mississippi State will close out action in the University of Houston-hosted Hyatt Regency Cougar Classic Sunday morning when the Bulldogs take on Virginia in the 9 a.m. game at the Cougar Softball Complex. Following tournament action, State will begin Southeastern Conference play on Wednesday, travelling to Baton Rouge, La., for a three-game set with the nationally ranked LSU Tigers.

Source: MSU Media Relations

"I was really happy with the team today," said head coach Al Schmidt. "I thought Tiffany did what she needed to do today. I felt good about some of the young kids - Jennifer McPherson and Zita Magloire. Kia ran pretty well, setting a personal best in the 400. I think we are set up to be where we have to be right now. We are performing the way that we should, but, unfortunately, all the teams ahead of us in the rankings are in the SEC. I am just real pleased with the team's performances so far at the meet."

Setting another provisional qualifying mark, junior Tiffany McWilliams won the prelims in the mile run in 4:40.09, breaking the UK Nutter Fieldhouse record she set this season. McWilliams also set a new school record in the 800-meters with her NCAA automatic qualifying time of 2:05.46. She took fifth in the prelims, running in the event for the first time this season.

Also competing in the mile run, McPherson finished in 11th-place in 4:55.52, missing qualifying for the finals by one spot.

Nicole Dunn set a personal best in the 200-meter dash, the last event of the day for the Lady Bulldogs. Kia James recorded a new career-high in the 400-meter dash, besting her previous mark by more than a second. In the weigh throw, freshman Christina Hernandez also set a personal best mark.

The final day of competition for MSU begins with the women's pole vault at 11:00 a.m. EST.

Source: MSU Media Relations

02/28/04
Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State University women's tennis team fell 5-2 to the 21st ranked Kentucky Wildcats on Friday at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The Wildcats now lead the series with the Lady Bulldogs 23-3 and have won the last four clashes between the squads.

Kentucky won the doubles point with victories at No. 2 and No. 3. UK's Aibika Kalsarieva and Lara Maurer defeated MSU's Marcelle Hirt and Justyna Switala in an 8-6 decision at the second spot. Hayley Rudman and Tarryn Rudman fell on court three to Christine Simpson and Liis Sober, 8-5. At No. 1, Lady Bulldogs Anastasia Kugakolova and Magdi Rekasi won their match against Sarah Foster and Joelle Schwenk in a 9-7 decision.

In singles, Yumi Ueda was victorious over Christine Simpson, 6-0, 6-1, at the sixth spot. Kugakolova won her match at No. 2 when Lara Maurer retired due to injury. Maurer was winning the match 6-3, 3-2 when she retired.

On court one, Hirt dropped her match to No. 19th ranked Kalsarieva 6-0, 6-0. Rekasi fell 6-1, 6-3 to Schwenk at No. 3. Tarryn Rudman was defeated 6-4, 6-3 by Wildcat Sarah Foster at the fourth spot. Switala took her match to a third set super tiebreaker with Sober at No. 5. Switala fell 6-1, 6-7(2), 1-0(4).

Next, State hosts the fifth-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores on Sunday in a match set to begin at 1 p.m.

Source: MSU Media Relations

"Lauren had a good day and performed with great effort," said coach Keith Powell. "She set season personal best marks and left it all on the track. That is all we can ask of her."

In the first event of the pentathlon, Johnson took fifth-place in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.83, setting a new season best mark. The Scottsboro, Ala., native finished 14th in the high jump with a mark of 4-101/4.

Johnson hurled the shot put 35-11/4, breaking her career-best mark set at the 2003 SEC Championships. She finished 11th in the event. In the long jump, she took fifth place with a leap of 18-51/4, setting a new season-high. The junior took 10th in the 800-meter dash in a time of 2:29.41.

The second day of competition begins on Saturday at 10 a.m. EST. with the women's weight throw.

Source: MSU Media Relations

02/27/04
Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State University women's tennis team will host the No. 21st-ranked Wildcats of Kentucky in a 2:30 p.m. match at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Fri., Feb. 27.

"This upcoming weekend is going to be a really tough weekend," said head coach Tracy Lane. "This past fall we played some Kentucky players and had some really close matches, so I look for us having a good battle with the Wildcats."

Newcomer Tarryn Rudman leads the squad in singles with an .833 winning percentage and a 5-1 singles record. Leading in doubles, Hayley Rudman has recorded a .571 winning percentage (8-6).

Kentucky leads the series with MSU 22-3. In their last meeting, the Wildcats defeated the Lady Bulldogs 5-1 in Lexington, Ky. Statešs last victory came in 2001 in a 5-4 decision.

Next, State will host the fifth-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Source: MSU Media Relations

"As always, this is the most important meet of the year," said head coach Al Schmidt. "We have been ranked in the the Top 25 in the country all season long and this is the best conference in the country. It doesn't get any better."

Mississippi State's Tiffany McWilliams holds the Nutter Fieldhouse record in the mile run (4:43.01) with her performance this year at the Rod McCravy Memorial. MSU's 2003 distance medley relay team holds the Nutter Fieldhouse record for their time of 11:18.04 in the event.

Last season, the Lady Bulldogs took eighth-place overall in the SEC Indoor meet. McWilliams won the mile run (4:35.21) and finished runner-up in the 3000-meter run (9:27.09). The distance medley relay team of Jennifer McPherson, Nicole Dunn, Zita Magloire and McWilliams won top honors with an 11:26.39 performance. Meggan Hodge took eighth in the 5000-meter run in her time of 17:00.89.

Next for the women's indoor team is the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., on March 12-13. The men's and women's outdoor teams begin competition March 5 at the FSU Snowbird in Tallahassee, Fla.

Source: MSU Media Relations

02/23/04
Women's Tennis
NEW ORLEANS, La. ­ The Mississippi State University women's tennis team fell 7-0 to the 27th ranked Green Wave of Tulane on Sunday in New Orleans, La., at the Goldring Tennis Center.

The Green Wave won the doubles point, sweeping the Lady Bulldogs. MSU's tandem of Anastasia Kugakolova and Magdi Rekasi took on Nancy Kockott and Dorottya Magas at the first position. MSU fell 8-1 to the Tulane tandem. On court two, Marcelle Hirt and Justyna Switala dropped their match to Maria Ivanov and Jenny Kuhn in an 8-3 decision. Hayley Rudman and Tarryn Rudman were defeated by Darya Ivanov and Ana Saaibi 8-4.

In singles action, Hirt faced 47th ranked Maria Ivanov at No. 1. Hirt fell 6-2, 6-2. At No. 2, Kugakolova dropped her match to 55th ranked Kuhn 6-3, 6-1. Rekasi fell 6-1, 6-1 to Tulane's Darya Ivanov.

Freshman Tarryn Rudman dropped her first match of the season to Magas in a 6-1, 6-4 decision. On court four, Switala was defeated by Kockott, 6-2, 6-1. Hayley Rudman fell 6-0, 6-0 to Saaibi.

Next, the Lady Bulldogs return home for their first SEC match of the spring. State will host the Wildcats of Kentucky in a 2:30 p.m. match on Fri., Feb. 27.

Source: MSU Media Relations

02/21/04
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Despite a fierce late charge from 48th-ranked South Alabama, Mississippi State's 45th-ranked men's tennis team fended off the visiting Jaguars to secure a 5-2 win at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre Friday afternoon.

The victory was State's third consecutive after opening the season 0-2. South Alabama dropped its second in a row after a 4-0 start to the year. MSU now leads the series with USA 9-6 since 1969 and has won 60 of its last 65 non-conference home matches.

State grabbed the early lead in the match by taking the doubles point. After the teams traded wins at the No. 2 and 3 positions, Bulldogs Luiz Carvalho and Jose-Carlos Pinto finished off an 8-4 victory over Jaguars Franticek Babej and David Kepka at the top spot for the 1-0 advantage.

But South Alabama would mount a strong rally bid in singles, evening the score at 2-2 after the first three matches complete, and earning an early service break in the third set in two of the three remaining contests to put the pressure on the Bulldogs.

MSU actually went up 2-0 in the match when Pinto notched an impressive 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Jaguar Clinton Jacobs at No. 2 singles. USA rebounded with victories at the No. 1 and 6 spots. At No. 1, the 95th-ranked Babej upset MSU's fourth-ranked Romain Ambert 6-3, 6-4. At No. 6, Jaguar Evan Fowler bested Bulldog rookie Romain Provenzano 6-4, 6-2.

The teams would split sets at the No. 3-5 positions, setting up a battle for the team victory, but MSU would eventually win all three affairs. USA grabbed an early service break in the third set at both the No. 4 and 5 positions, and gained a split at No. 3 soon after. The Bulldogs then stepped up and met the pressure head on.

At No. 4, MSU senior Max Fomine won the last five games of his match with Kepka to claim a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win and give MSU a 3-2 lead. At No. 5, State sophomore Florent Girod overcame a 6-4, 3-1 deficit, and was down 2-0 in the third set, before reeling off six consecutive games to claim a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback win over Jaguar Jorgen Vestli. That victory marked the second match in a row that Girod had provided the clincher for the Bulldogs and was his third win in a row overall.

Carvalho finished off State's scoring with his third straight triumph, a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Pavel Mazaev at No. 3.

"A lot of good things happened out there today," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "We really did a good job of meeting the challenge of a good team for the second match in a row. South Alabama had the advantage late in this match and our guys really worked hard to take care of business when they had to. This is a very positive way to go into our two weeks away from competition. Now we will focus our efforts on starting the always-tough SEC schedule."

State has two weeks off before its next action. The Bulldogs will continue their five-match homestand on Friday, March 5, opening Southeastern Conference action at home against No. 29 Auburn at 2 p.m. State will then close out the homestand on Sunday, March 7, entertaining No. 17 Alabama at 1 p.m.

Source: MSU Media Relations

02/20/04
Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State University women's tennis team defeated the Privateers of New Orleans 4-3 at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Thursday. The Lady Bulldogs now lead the overall series with the Privateers 3-0.

MSU won by default at sixth singles and No.3 doubles, giving them a 1-0 lead going into doubles play. The Lady Bulldog tandem of Marcelle Hirt and Justyna Switala won their match on court two in a 9-7 decision, winning the doubles point for State. At the No. 1 position, Anastasia Kugakolova and Magdi Rekasi took their match to a tiebreaker against UNO's Patricia Osedumme and Lucie Mazinova. The Privateers duo won the match 9-8(5).

State's Rekasi and Tarryn Rudman won the two points the squad needed to win the team match. Rekasi won her match at No. 3 against UNOšs Osedumme in a 7-5, 6-3 decision. Rudman continued her unbeaten streak winning at the fourth spot, improving her overall singles record to 5-0. Rudman defeated Michaela Fogelberg 6-4, 6-2.

At No. 1, MSU's Hirt fell 6-3, 6-1 to Mazinova. Kugakolova took her match with Zembski to a tiebreaker in the second set at No. 2. Kugakolova won the tiebreaker, but fell 11-9 in the super set tiebreaker. Yumi Ueda, at the fifth position, lost her match to Hedenberg 6-1, 6-2.

Next, the Lady Bulldogs travel to New Orleans on Sun., Feb. 22, to face the Green Wave of Tulane in an 11 a.m. match.

Source: MSU Media Relations

02/18/04
Women's Indoor Track and Field - MSU's women's indoor track and field team is ranked 24th in the latest Trackwire 25 poll.

Joe Deraney posted an even par score of 72 on the final 18 holes to finish in a three-way tie for fourth. The fourth-place finish is a career-best finish for the junior from Statesboro, Ga. He finished three shots back of the individual champion, Greg Koch of Florida Southern.

"He (Joe Deraney) has a lot of confidence right now," said MSU head coach Clay Homan. "He didn't make a score over bogey, playing the course before really helped him."

MSU improved two spots after sitting in 13th-place after the first 36 holes. They finished one shot out of 10th with a tournament total 893. The 294 on the final day was third-best on the final day.

"Today was better than Monday. We avoided the big mistakes on the course," said Homan. "We played a lot smarter on the course today."

The low-round of the day for the Maroon and White came from junior Carl Sutton. Sutton fired a two under-par 70. He finished 43rd along with teammate Tim Satow. Satow shot a final round 76, concluding the tournament with a 226.

Memphis won the 2004 edition of the Matlock Collegiate with an even round tournament score of 864. Georgia State finished in second at five over-par.

The Bulldogs next tournament action will be March 12-14 at the Conrad Rehling Spring Invitational, hosted by the University of Alabama.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

02/17/04
Men's Tennis
LAKELAND, Fla. - Mississippi State junior golfer Joe Deraney fired a two under-par 142 in the first two rounds and sits in a tie for fourth place at the Matlock Collegiate Classic in Lakewood, Fla. on Monday.

The Statesboro, Ga. native is four shots off the pace. Florida Southern's Greg Koch is at six strokes under-par at the Grasslands Golf Club.

As a team, the Bulldogs fired a two-round total of 599 and find themselves in 13th in the 15-team field. After posting a 302 in the first 18 holes, Clay Homan's squad finished the second round with a 297.

Tim Satow and Jake Lambert both carded a 152 and in 50th-place, while Carl Sutton and Craig Horrocks stand in 64th after day one.

The University of Memphis leads the 54-hole tournament. The Tigers fired an even-par 576. They hold a five-shot advantage over Georgia State. UM placed three players in the top-20.

Tuesday's final round gets underway at 8 a.m.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

02/15/04
Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State University women's tennis team swept the Lady Blazers of UAB 4-0 Sunday at MSU's McCarthy Gymnasium. The Lady Bulldogs improved their record to 4-2 on the season.

The match was moved indoors due to inclement weather with singles action played first.

Winning the first point for State, Anastasia Kugakolova, at No. 2, defeated Annemieke Elsholz in a 6-3, 6-2 decision to improve her singles record to 11-5. At the No. 1 spot, Marcelle Hirt was victorious over UABšs Femke de Boer, 6-3, 6-1.

MSU's undefeated freshman Tarryn Rudman won her match at No. 4 over Julia von Samson 6-2, 6-0, increasing her record to 4-0. Magdi Rekasi gave the Lady Bulldogs their fourth team point to win the match. Rekasi defeated Marrit Jansma 6-4, 6-0 at No. 3.

Next, the Lady Bulldogs host the New Orleans Privateers on Thurs., Feb. 19, in a 2:30 p.m. match at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. This match will conclude a seven-match homestand for MSU.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Earlier in the day, three Mississippi State errors keyed a four-run rally for host San Diego State in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Gauchos (4-4) made good on crucial defensive miscues to send the Bulldogs to their first loss of the season Friday afternoon at the Aztec Invitational. MSU followed that loss with a one-run loss, this time to nationally-ranked Oklahoma State, who escaped a baffled Maroon and White batting order with a 3-2 victory Saturday afternoon at the San Diego State Aztec Invitational.

The Bulldogs, who have left 29 batters on base in their current three-game skid, struggled immensely at the top of its order where its one through four hitters combined for a 4-for-13 clip with five runners left on. Senior Kate Jaspers may have provided the only bright spot on a dismal outing by driving in a run on a 2-for-4 day at the plate. Shelby Hensler paced the Gauchos with three RBI on a 1-for-4 clip, while Lindsey Herrin drove in a run on a 3-or-4 gallery.

Lucedale native Stephanie Comeaux (2-2) suffered her second-straight setback and saddled the loss for the Bulldogs after allowing four earned runs on six hits in just seven outs of work. Fellow freshman Kelli Miller posted a no-decision in a cleanup effort, working the final four and two-thirds, striking out three and allowing just one run on a pair of hits. UCSB's Lindsey Sommer connected on strikes just 52 percent of the time (71-for-137), but it did not matter. Sommer recorded the win despite walking seven and allowing four hits.

"We had the right people up in the right situations," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "The bottom of our order did a great job in terms of getting on base for the top of the order, but we just couldn't get the job done. I thought we did a good job of getting leadoff runners on and we did a good job of putting people in scoring position, but we left an awful lot of people on and we had the opportunities to really blow the game wide open."

Mississippi State used a leadoff walk issued to Iyhia McMichael in the first to draw first blood and coupled it with a RBI single from Brandi Watkins to take a 1-0 lead into the second. The Gauchos knotted the game back up with its leadoff batter as well, as they scraped the runner into scoring position to set the table for Blair Robbins RBI single just three at-bats into the frame. State retook the lead in the next frame on a RBI single by Jaspers and had its chances for a two-run cushion, but Leslie Simien's rifle throw took one hop for catcher Shelby Hensler's tag of McMichael at the plate.

UCSB used four hits, a pass ball and a costly error by MSU shortstop Hayle Guess to plate three more runs in the third, then added an insurance run in the seventh to provide the final.

Mississippi State will return to action on Sunday when the Bulldogs close out play at the San Diego State Aztec Invitational with an 11 a.m. PST contest against the hosts. State will return home next weekend to host the four-team Bulldog Classic at the Mississippi State Softball Field.

UCSB 013 000 1 - 5 8 0
Mississippi State 110 000 0 - 2 4 3

Sommer and Hensler. Comeaux, Miller (3) and Waterman. W -- Sommer. L -- Comeaux. Save -- None. 2B -- MSU, McMichael. OSU, Herrin.

Source: MSU Media Relations

With the win, State improved to 2-2 overall. Tulane fell to 4-2. MSU now owns an 8-5 lead on the Green Wave since 1984, 5-1 in Starkville. The Bulldogs avenged their 4-1 loss to TU in New Orleans last season.

State got off to a great start in the match, posting impressive victories at the top two doubles positions to gain the first point of the day. Bulldogs Romain Ambert and Florent Girod notched an 8-5 victory over TU's duo of Dmitriy Koch and Goran Vasiljevic at No. 2. State then got an 8-3 win from Luiz Carvalho and Jose-Carlos Pinto at No. 1 over David Goulet and Michael Kogan. The third doubles position was not played.

But in singles, Tulane came out storming, claiming victories in the first three matches completed to take a commanding 3-1 lead.

The first two matches were classic battles, but TU would claim both for a 2-1 advantage. Tulane's Kogan, ranked eighth nationally, downed State's fourth-ranked Ambert 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 at the top spot. At No. 2, the Green Wave's 37th-ranked Koch won a hard-hitting battle over MSU's Pinto 6-4, 7-6(6). Tulane took its 3-1 lead when Goulet downed Bulldog Max Fomine 6-2, 6-1 at the No. 4 position.

But the Bulldogs would not die. State's Carvalho trimmed the Green Wave margin to 3-2 when he registered a 7-5, 6-2 triumph over Hannu Piiroinen at No. 3. That left the final two positions left to play, both of which MSU would need to claim the team win.

Girod and MSU true freshman Romain Provenzano jumped to quick one-set leads in their respective matches at Nos. 5 and 6. It would be Provenzano tying the match at 3-3, as he notched a 6-2, 7-6(6) triumph over Alberto Sottocorno in a battle of rookies.

In the decisive match at No. 5, Tulane's Jacobo Hernandez split sets with Girod to force an exciting finish to the match. With the third set tied 3-3, Girod earned a service break and held his own serve for a 5-3 lead, and eventually took the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to put the finishing touches on the Bulldogs' hard-fought comeback effort.

"I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of these guys," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said, "Their backs were to the wall against a very, very good Tulane team, and they did what they had to do to get the win. As I said going into this match, Tulane is much better than their ranking. This was a great win for our program. Now we want to continue making progress as we did tonight and build on this victory."

State continues it five-match homestand this Friday, Feb. 20, hosting No. 48 South Alabama at 2 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The Bulldogs will then open Southeastern Conference action on campus, welcoming No. 29 Auburn (Mar. 5) and No. 17 Alabama (Mar. 7).

Source: MSU Media Relations

"The big news of the day was Joy," said head coach Al Schmidt. "She may have set a freshman record, so I was real pleased with that. I do not think that I ever had a freshman run that fast."

Joy Griffith crossed the finish line in the 5000-meter run in an impressive career-best time of 17:10.29, finishing in eighth-place. This meet was the first time she ran in the event on the collegiate level.

MSU's Tiffany McWilliams (4:42.58) finished runner-up in the seeded one mile race behind Tennessee's Brooke Novak (4:42.28). McWilliams set her third NCAA Provisional Qualifying mark in the event.

In addition, Memphis, Tenn., native Michelle Kinney set a career-best time in the unseeded 3000m at the meet, finishing in a time of 10:44.55.

Next, the Lady Bulldogs get set to compete in the SEC Indoor Championships in Lexington, Ky., February 27-29.

Source: MSU Media Relations

02/14/04
Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State University women's tennis team defeated the Lady Trojans of Troy State 4-3 Friday at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. Freshman Tarryn Rudman won the fourth point for the squad with her three-set victory at the No. 4 position. The newcomer is 3-0 on the year.

Rudman fell in her first set to TSU's Tsitsi Masviba 6-3, but took the second set in a 7-6 (1) tiebreaker. With the team match tied 3-3 going into the third set, Rudman gave the Dawgs the victory, taking the third set 6-3.

State began the match strong by winning the doubles point, sweeping TSU at all three positions. MSU's Anastasia Kugakolova and Magdi Rekasi defeated TSU's Carolina Aravena and Luisa Lopez in a 9-8(3) tiebreaker at the first position. Marcelle Hirt and Justyna Switala won their match 8-5 on court two over Lady Trojans Christina Mancheno and Masviba. At the third position, the sister duo of Hayley and Tarryn Rudman took their first doubles match of the season, 8-3, against Laura Alarcon and Suzanne Jones.

Kugakolova and Rekasi won MSU's other two points on the day. Kugakolova was victorious over Aravena, 6-0, 6-4 at the No. 2 spot and, at No. 3, Rekasi won her match against Mancheno in a 6-1, 6-0 decision.

On court one, Hirt fell 6-1, 6-1 to Lopez. At No. 5, Yumi Ueda dropped her match to Jones, 6-3, 6-3. Hayley Rudman fell 6-1, 6-0 to Alarcon at the sixth position.

Next, State's women will host the UAB Blazers in a 1 p.m. match on Sunday. Last season, MSU defeated UAB 6-1 in Starkville, increasing their series lead to 16-3 overall.

Source: MSU Media Relations

02/13/04
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's 45th-ranked men's tennis team opened its home schedule it solid fashion Thursday, downing a tough UAB squad 5-2 at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on campus.

With the win, State improved to 1-2 overall this season. UAB suffered its first loss, falling to 4-1. MSU now leads the series with the Blazers 19-1 since 1969 and has won 11 in a row between the teams. State has also won 17 of its last 18 home debuts, dating back to 1987.

UAB did not make things easy on State early. After claiming the opening doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and 3 positions, the Blazers came out firing in singles, earning early service breaks at the No. 1, 3, 5 and 6 positions to establish a solid early upset threat. But, in addition to two straight-set wins at the No. 2 and 4 positions, State would rally to claim wins in three of those four contests for the victory.

Knotting the score at 1-1 was Bulldog Florent Girod. After being down 2-0 early, the sophomore would surrender only one more game the rest of the way for a 6-3, 6-0 win over UAB's Kristijan Mitrovski at the No. 5 spot. Giving MSU a 2-1 lead would be sophomore newcomer Jose-Carlos Pinto. The transfer from Hampton University posted his first dual match victory as a Bulldog, ousting Anton Mavrin 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2. State took a 3-1 lead when senior Max Fomine finished off Ruben Zrihen 6-1, 6-4 at the No. 4 position, winning the last two games of that match for the triumph.

After those battles were complete, it would take almost another hour for State to finally get the decisive point of the day. That point would come from junior Luiz Carvalho, who registered a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 comeback win over Andre Maier at No. 3. The win broke a four-match losing skid for Carvalho.

The teams split the final two contests of the day. MSU senior all-American Romain Ambert would claim a 7-6(9), 5-7, 1-0(7) win at the top spot, staving off a fierce challenge from UAB's Tobi Klein in a supertiebreaker for the third set. State rookie Romain Provenzano then dropped a heartbreaking 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(2) decision to Sanzaruz Zaman at No. 6.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Beckwith comes to Mississippi State following an outstanding career in the Mississippi private school ranks, as well as performing with the elite Jackson Futball Club. She is expected to be a solid contributor to the Bulldog program.

"Amy is a player with the potential to be very good," McGuire said. "She is a very athletic young lady who will grow to understand our system of play. She also has the tools to be very successful here at State, and, through time, will develop into a major scoring threat for us."

As a senior at Pillow Academy for coach Bobo Champion, Beckwith helped led the north state AAA champions as the team's captain and Most Valuable Offensive Player. Beckwith started all 16 games for the Mustangs, scoring 60 points on 25 goals and 10 assists from the forward position.

A standout player for the Jackson Futball Club and coach Kevin Johns, Beckwith helped lead the 2003 Mississippi club state champions in competition at the prestigious College Classic in Memphis.

As a multi-sport talent for Pillow Academy, Beckwith lettered two years in track and was named the team's Most Valuable Player both seasons. A three-year letterwinner on the basketball team as well, she won the team's Most Valuable Offensive Player as a freshman.

The daughter of Jerry and Avis Beckwith of North Carrollton, has an older brother, William. She is expected to major in Marketing at Mississippi State.

Source: MSU Media Relations

02/11/04
Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. ­ Mississippi State senior all-American outfielder Iyhia McMichael among 40 student-athletes named to the initial watch list for the ASA/USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, the organization announced Thursday.

This award, which is considered the Heisman Trophy in women's collegiate softball and is the only national player of the year award, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.

The initial watch list is comprised of 40 players that represent 26 colleges and 12 different collegiate conferences. McMichael is joined by eight other players from the SEC on the initial watch list which ranks second only to the PAC 10's 14 players named. Even if a player doesn't appear on the initial watch list, they are still eligible for the award.

McMichael, who took home first team NFCA all-America, as well as SEC Softball Athlete of the Year, honors last season, was named among the top 10 finalists for the award in 2003. She was the only player from the SEC named to the final list of 25.

The first 25 finalists will be announced on April 6. The list will be reduced to ten players on April 28, with the final three finalists being named on May 11. The winner of the 2004 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced at the 2004 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.

McMichael finished her junior season with a .403 batting average ­ one of just three players in the history of the MSU Softball program to finish the season with a batting average at or above the .400 plateau. The owner of 19 batting records at Mississippi State, McMichael is on pace to shatter a handful more as a senior in 2004.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Dallas comes to Mississippi State following an outstanding prep and club career in the state of Georgia. She is expected to make an immediate impact for the Bulldogs upon her arrival next season.

"Stephanie is a very good goalkeeper, and one we are looking to have an immediate impact," McGuire said. "She is composed, technically and tactically sound and a very good communicator. Her experiences with the Olympic Development Program have given her a taste of what is required at the SEC level, and this will help her in her first year."

A four-year letter winner at Brookwood High School, Dallas led the Broncos to the 2002 Georgia 5A State Championship after finishing her junior campaign with 91 saves, 12 shutouts and a goals against average of 0.86. At season's end, she was awarded the 5A Leadership Athlete of the Georgia Championship Game and named to the all-county Team.

As a member of the Norcross Soccer Association under head coach Domenic Martelli, Dallas was team captain for six seasons. In her final season with the '86 Gold, she led her team to an overall record of 11-8-8 while allowing only 32 goals in over 2,400 minutes of play, finishing with a goals against average of 1.20.

"I am very excited about playing for Mississippi State," Dallas said. "I can't wait to be able to compete in the SEC which has a great reputation for talented athletes and competition. I have worked so hard to come this far, and it's a great feeling knowing that I will be able to compete in Division I."

Born Stephanie Elizabeth Dallas on May 15, 1986, in Snellville, GA, she is the daughter of Mark and Tricia Dallas. She has a younger sister, Lauren (13).

Source: MSU Media Relations

MSU fired a 314 on the final day of action. The tournament continued despite constant drizzling rain and temperatures in the low 50s in the area. The Maroon and White shared the sixth spot with Louisiana-Lafayette after 36 holes.

"The conditions were tough today," said MSU head coach Clay Homan. "We have to put three good rounds together."

Junior Joe Deraney improved six spots to finish ninth with a 222. He fired a two over-par 74 to lead the squad on the final day. Deraney finished seven shots off of tournament champion, Barrett Jarosch of Denver, who fired a final round 72.

Tim Satow finished a career-best 29th with a tournament score of 231. Freshman Jake Lambert and Junior Carl Sutton both placed 33rd in the two-day event. Daniel Boles rounded out the line up in the 48th spot.

Texas-San Antonio came from four shots behind Denver to win the fourth annual event with a 895. UTSA fired a 307 to take home team honors. Notre Dame and Denver finished five shots back.

The Bulldogs will venture to Lakeland Fla. next Monday and Tuesday to participate in the Matlock Invitational at The Grasslands Golf Club.

Source: MSU Media Relations

02/10/04
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State soccer head coach Neil McGuire announced the second of seven expected signees as forward Treena Ferguson (Sarnia, Ontario, Canada/ Saint Patricks HS) inked her name to a national letter of intent to continue her playing career with the Bulldogs.

Ferguson comes to Starkville following successful prep and club careers in Canada. She is expected to make an immediate impact for the Bulldogs upon her arrival in Starkville.

"Treena is a player I am anxious to have on this campus," McGuire said. "She is a true competitor with a burning desire to be the best she can be. She is tough, strong and has one of the hardest shots I have seen in the women's game. She will prove to be a handful for our opponents."

A three-sport athlete at Saint Patricks High School, Ferguson was named MVP of her soccer, badminton and volleyball teams following her senior year. In her fifth season playing U-18/U-19 girls Premier Competitive Soccer, Ferguson played and started 37 games and compiled 45 goals and 27 assists for 117 points ­ an average of just less than three points per game.

As most valuable player and team captain of the illustrious Corunna Wildcats under head coach Kevin Simmonds, Ferguson led her squad to the last five league championships as they compiled an overall record of 43-5-1. During her five years in a Wildcats uniform, Ferguson recorded 53 goals and 35 assists in route to becoming the Wildcats all-time leading goal scorer.

"It's a dream come true to be able to play for Mississippi State," Ferguson said. "No girl could ask for anything more."

Born Treena Lee Ferguson on March 28, 1986, in Ft. McMurray, Alberta, Canada, she is the daughter of Gary and Lise Ferguson. She has one older brother, Ryan (19).

Source: MSU Media Relations

02/06/04
Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Senior Blaire Brown's two-run double in the top of the fifth inning completed a come-from-behind victory for host Mississippi State (2-0) as the Bulldogs fought off an upset bid from visiting Louisiana Tech (1-1) with a 6-1 victory in game four of the 2004 Bulldog Round-Robin at the Mississippi State Softball Field.

Brown plated a trio of RBI, including the game-tying and game-winning hits, on a 2-for-3 night at the plate to pace a trio of Bulldogs with multi-hits. Jennifer Waterman drove in a pair of runs and scored once, while fellow senior Kate Jaspers continued a torrid day at the plate on a 2-for-4 effort herself.

Starkville native Meagan OšNan collected the Dogs' only other RBI and scored twice on a 1-for-2 clip with a walk. Jennifer LaRussa drove in the Lady Techsters' only run on a RBI single in the first.

Junior Melissa Massey collected her first victory of the season on a complete game, striking out four and allowing only four hits. Tech's Marla Pinkston, struck out eight and allowed just one earned run, but was victimized by nine Mississippi State knocks, most of them critical.

Louisiana Tech took the early 1-0 lead with two outs in the bottom of the first, but Brown's RBI single in the third scored O'Nan from second to knot the game back up. The Bulldogs would find a comfortable two-run lead, on Brown's two-out double in the fifth, but added three insurance runs in the sixth on RBI hits from O'Nan and Waterman.

In State's 2004 Bulldog Round-Robin tournament opener, the Bulldogs sent its entire batting order to the plate in a four-run sixth inning to break open an otherwise close game as the Maroon and White fought off a pesky Bradley (1-1) squad with an 11-6 decision.

Kate Jaspers drove in a career high six runs on a 3-for-4 effort, while Iyhia McMichael matched her career high by scoring four times on a 3-for-4 day. Meagan O'Nan scored a career high two runs on a 1-for-4 clip.

Colorado freshman Kelli Miller recorded her first career start in the circle for MSU, but was chased with one out in the fourth after allowing five unearned runs on six Bradley hits. Stephanie Comeaux (1-0) picked up her first career victory after striking out a pair and allowing just three hits and one earned run the rest of the way out. Brittany Dehler (0-1) saddled the loss for the Braves after allowing 10 earned runs on 13 hits and five walks.

State put together three hits, including a pair of triples, to plate four runs in the first and take an early advantage, but Bradley used three hits and two costly MSU errors to tie things back up in the bottom of the third. The Maroons would put the game out of reach in the sixth, however, pounding out six hits and scoring four runs to take an insurmountable 9-5 lead into the seventh. Jaspers' two-run double in the final frame completed a career day for the Prescott, Ariz., native.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Inking Parker allows State to sign their second straight Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Mississippi. The 2001 winner was Courtney Hubert, also from Vicksburg. The 2003 Gatorade state Players of the Year for girls' soccer will be announced February 12.

Parker comes to MSU after an impressive prep and club career in the state of Mississippi. She is expected to make an immediate impact with the Bulldogs.

"We are proud to have Brandi Parker join our Mississippi State soccer program," McGuire said. "We feel she is one of the best players in the nation from her age group, as shown by her progress in the Olympic Development Program. She is a proven goalscorer, which is something we have lacked of late, and will add an edge to our frontline. Brandi's signing is also important in that we have continued to keep the best players from the state of Mississippi in-tate."

A five-year letterwinner for the Vicksburg Gators, Parker led her team to two state championships. As a senior under coach Kevin Manton, she set the Mississippi 5A state record for the most career goals scored, while also leading the Mississippi high school ranks in scoring for the fourth consecutive season. She was also named the MAC All-State Player of the Year and awarded the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame "Pop Star" Award.

A standout player for the Jackson Futbol Club and coach Kevin Johns, Parker led her team to four state championships. She is also a three-year participant in the state of Mississippi Olympic Development Program where she was named to the Region III Team as a forward in 2002 and 2003.

While at Vicksburg High, Parker has collected numerous soccer awards including MVP and Best Offensive Player for the Gator soccer team. She is a two-time MAC District 6-5A Player of the Year, a three-year All-State Selection and a three time all-district Selection. Parker is also a two-time Vicksburg Post Player of the Year and a four-time member of the all-county team.

Brandi also lettered in softball and cross-country at Vicksburg High School earning the MVP award in 2003 and the Best Offensive Player Award in 2002. She was also named to Vicksburg's All County Softball Team for three seasons.

A member of the National Honor Society and the Mu Alpha Theta, Parker has maintained a 2.9 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Born Brandi Nicole Parker on April 5, 1985, she is the daughter of Patrick and Nancy Parker. Brandi has one younger brother, Patrick Jr. She is undecided on a major at MSU.

Source: MSU Media Relations

02/03/04
Softball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ­ The Mississippi State Softball team was picked to finish third in the Southeastern Conference's Western Division in the annual preseason coaches' poll released Monday afternoon by the league office in Birmingham, Ala.

Alabama paced the Western Division vote tally with 60 points and 10 first-place votes, with LSU following closely behind on the shoulders of 50 points and a lone first place vote. Mississippi State placed third with 39 points, followed by Auburn (35 points), Mississippi (22) and Arkansas (19).

In the Eastern Division race, Georgia tallied 50 points and all but one of the 11 first-place votes, with Tennessee and Florida a distant second with 35 points apiece. South Carolina (26) and Kentucky (14) wrapped up the SEC East standings.

Source: MSU Media Relations

02/01/04
Women's Track and Field
LEXINGTON, Ky. ­ Mississippi State University's women's indoor track and field team had a great showing at the Rod McCravy Memorial in Lexington, Ky., this weekend. The Lady Bulldogs posted three wins, set a new school record and set two UK records during the two-day event.

MSU's Tiffany McWilliams set another provisional qualifying mark winning the mile run. Her time of 4:43.01 also broke the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet record, set in 1999, and the UK Nutter Fieldhouse Record, set in 1996.

Zita Magloire won the 800m with her personal-best mark of 2:12.82. MSU's 4x400m relay team of Kia James, Nicole Dunn, Magloire and Jennifer McPherson took first in the their first relay of the year, recording a time of 3:53.97 in the race.

Lauren Johnson advanced to the finals of the 60-meter hurdles with her 8th-place finish in a time of 9.00. She ran a 9.19 to take 13th in the finals of the event. In the long jump, she took sixth with a leap of 17-10 3/4.

Nampa, Idaho native McPherson took sixth in the mile run in a time of 4:56.83. Senior Nicole Dunn finished seventh in the 400m with her 58.33 performance. School record holder Lacey Johnson recorded a 10-0 in the pole vault, only two inches away from tying her record.

Also setting personal-best marks were Kia James in the 60m (7.82) and 200m (25.40), Lizzie Grube in the 800m (2:19.83), Anne Fyfe in the 800m (2:23.27), Mina Thorstenson in the mile run (5:15.83), Joy Griffith in the 3000m (10:14.75), Renata Hendrix in the high jump (5-4 1/4), Crystal Averitt in the weight throw (54-9 1/4) and Nicola Wilson in the weight throw (45-6 1/4).