01/19/05
Men's Golf
According to the latest issue of Golf Week magazine, the MSU men's golf recruiting class is ranked 10th in the nation. MSU's recruiting class consists of two of the nation's top players, Matt Fast from Oak Grove (MS) High School and Noah Goldman of Longwood, FL.

01/17/05
Men's Tennis
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Mississippi State's remaining contingent in the 2005 Southeastern Conference Coaches Indoor Championships was eliminated from competition Sunday, as both remaining singles players and both doubles teams fell in their respective matches. The losses wrapped up an otherwise successful weekend for the Bulldog net squad.

In quarterfinal singles action Sunday, senior Luiz Carvalho, who had upset two top eight seeds Saturday to advance, was forced to retire in his match with LSU's third-seeded and 12th-ranked Ken Skupski. Battling a growing pain in his serving arm during the weekend, he stopped play trailing the Tiger star 6-2, 2-1.

State's Philippe Frayssinoux, a true freshman who joined the team just two weeks ago, cruised to a one-set lead against Kentucky's Alex Hume in Sunday's quarters. But Hume rallied to post a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over the rookie Bulldog.

Due to his injury, Carvalho was also forced to withdraw from his quarterfinal-round doubles match with partner Jose-Carlos Pinto. The tournament's No. 3 seed and currently ranked 10th nationally, Carvalho and Pinto were to have faced Florida's team of Jordan Dolberg and Ryan Sherry. In State's last match of the weekend, Bulldogs Ivan Bjelica and Florent Girod were 8-5 victims of Kentucky's team of Marcus Sundh and Jesse Witten.

Carvalho and Frayssinoux's singles results this weekend marked the first time since 1997 that two or more Bulldogs had reached the SEC Indoor quarterfinal round in one year (three did so in Œ97). In doubles, it marked the first time since 1999 that State had advanced two or more duos to the quarters (three did so that season).

"Today didn't go exactly as we would have liked, but this weekend was definitely a step in the right direction for us," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "We put two singles players and two doubles teams in the quarterfinals of our conference indoor tournament and that's very solid in our league. We now look forward to starting our team schedule."

The Bulldogs open up their 2005 dual match season Sunday, Jan. 30, hosting New Orleans. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.

MSU RESULTS AT THE SEC COACHES INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
New Orleans, La. - 1/16/05

SINGLES
Quarterfinals - #12 Ken Skupski (LSU) def. Luiz Carvalho (MSU) 6-2, 2-1, ret.; Alex Hume (Kentucky) def. Philippe Frayssinoux (MSU) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

DOUBLES
Quarterfinals - Jordan Dolberg/Ryan Sherry (Florida) def. t#10 Carvalho/Pinto (MSU) by default; Marcus Sundh/Jesse Witten (Kentucky) def. Ivan Bjelica/Florent Girod (MSU) 8-5.

(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)

Source: MSU Media Relations

01/12/05
Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's women's tennis team is ranked 69th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Rankings poll, released by the ITA on Tuesday.

Sophomore transfer Zsuzsanna Fodor received a 28th ranking after a standout fall. She recorded more fall singles wins than any other player in MSU history. The St. Petersburg, Russia, native paced the squad with an 18-3 singles record and won two main draw singles titles. She won Flight A of the Roberta Alison Fall Classic in her first tournament with MSU, defeating 16th-ranked Robin Stephenson of Alabama. Fodor also advanced to the qualifying round of the Riviera/ITA Women's all-American Championship after winning four straight matches in the prequalifying round, downing 105th-ranked Maria Rosenberg of Kansas State in the round of 16 and Southern Cal's Lindsey Nelson in the round of 32.

Randpark, South Africa native, Tarryn Rudman earned a 124th ranking with her fall accomplishments. She finished the fall with a 13-6 singles record and was 7-0 in three-set matches and 6-3 in tiebreakers.

Rudman won Flight C of the Roberta Alison Fall Classic and advanced to the round of 32 at the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships. In addition, she won the Draw A consolation championship at the Wilson/ITA South Regional Championships, defeating preseason 121st-ranked Melissa Applebaum of Miami in the round of eight and defeated Ole Miss's Virginia Tomatis in the Draw A consolation finals at the Wilson/ITA South Regional.

In doubles, Fodor and Anastasia Kugakolova are ranked 46th in the nation. The duo recorded a 6-2 record in tournament action, competing together at the Riviera/ITA Women's all-American Championship and the SEC Fall Coaches Classic. They advanced to the prequalifying round of eight at the Riviera/ITA championships, defeating doubles teams from Pennsylvania, Fresno State and USC. MSU's tandem was victorious over Mississippi's 15th-ranked duo of Chloe Carlotti and Virginia Tomatis at the SEC Fall Coaches Classic to face Kentucky in the finals.

The Lady Bulldogs open their spring schedule on January 21, at the Georgia Invitational tournament in the Athens, Ga.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State infielder Tanelda McDonald (Madison, Miss./Madison Central) was among 11 college seniors drafted to take part in the inaugural season of the Harlem Diamonds, a five-women softball show set to begin play in June, the organization announced Tuesday afternoon.

McDonald, an at-large selection in the organization's senior draft on Monday evening, was the Diamonds' seventh pick in the draft. She was preceded in the draft by Kia Fennell (CSU-Northridge), Wynter Turner (Texas), Tatiana George (Florida State), Jessica Young (North Carolina), Saskia Roberson (DePaul) and DeKenya Williams (Boston Univ.).

Other at-large selections by the Diamonds included Janiva Willis (Winthrop), Jonnae McClain (Drexel), Dorothy Donaldson (Colgate) and Lesley Mayhorn (Sacramento State). The 11-member group will join former Michigan standout pitcher Marissa Young who was signed by the organization in October.

Beginning in June, the Harlem Diamonds will tour throughout the United States with a softball entertainment show that features a five player squad of top women performers competing against local community All-Star teams. The Harlem Diamonds are the brainchild of Dale Moss, the principal owner and general manager of the Harlem Ambassadors basketball shows. Now in its seventh season of operation, the Harlem Ambassadors have two touring teams performing over 200 events annually as fund raising benefits for community youth and social service organizations.

The team is also the largest provider of entertainment to the United States military worldwide, having performed at over 110 different bases in all services branches. Perhaps most significantly, the Ambassadors feature women players as the central performers on each of their two touring teams.

"With the basketball shows, fans see our women players as quality athletes and quality people in a very fan-friendly kind of presentation," Moss said. "That's also our objective in launching the Harlem Diamonds. But unlike the Harlem Ambassadors, which have co-ed teams of men and women, the Harlem Diamonds will be an all-women team . . . a five-player all-women team.

"With just a pitcher, catcher, and only three other fielders, the athleticism of our players is going to have to shine through in order for us to be competitive," Moss observed. Interactive games involving youngsters from the audience and hilarious comedy routines involving the Harlem Diamonds players and members of the challenging team will also be part of the presentation.

"This will be like no other softball presentation," Moss said, adding that "something will be happening throughout the event, fans will be participants, not just observers."

The Harlem Diamonds are scheduled to begin play on Memorial Day weekend and are expected to play nearly 60 games during the first season. Like the Harlem Ambassadors, the Harlem Diamonds will play events for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts, Police Athletic Leagues, Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, Jaycees, etc. These groups assemble local all-star teams to compete against the Harlem Diamonds and these all-star teams will be comprised largely of men players.

Moss noted that while in basketball, women compete on the playground or in pick up games against men all the time, in softball such competition is almost non-existent.

"Most elite level softball players haven't faced males since back when they would beat the boys in Tee Ball," Moss said laughing. "I'm betting that these women can still beat the boys."

In addition to the organizations mentioned, the Harlem Diamonds also plan to perform their services for girl's softball travel teams seeking a unique new way to raise funds and to raise awareness of their teams. Like the Harlem Ambassadors, the Harlem Diamonds appear on a flat-fee basis.

Groups have raised in excess of $20,000 utilizing the fundraising program that includes a Promotional Guide, tickets, posters, press materials, and a tremendous level of marketing support.

Source: MSU Media Relations