Saturday, February 17
Nashville, Tenn.
1 PM
Michigan State University
at
Vanderbilt
16th-ranked Spartans Look to Continue Perfect Start at Vanderbilt Saturday
2/15/2024 4:25:00 PM | Men's Tennis
EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 16 Michigan State Men's Tennis travels to Nashville, Tenn. Saturday to take on Vanderbilt and look to continue it's perfect run of form to start the season.
After a 6-1 win over Clemson last Friday, MSU holds a 9-0 record to start the season for just the second time since 1960, also accomplishing the feat in the 2011 season. A win Saturday would mark the best start to a season for the Spartans in 64 years at 10-0.
In Michigan State's nine wins, each has been won by multiple points. The Spartans have come out on top 5-2 five times, 6-1 twice, 4-0 once and 7-0 once.
Scouting Vanderbilt
The Commodores enter the matchup 7-1 on the season and 6-0 on their home courts. Vandy's lone loss of the season came as a 4-0 sweep at the hands of No. 1 Ohio State at the ITA Kickoff Weekend where the Commodores notched a 4-2 win over a solid Oregon team.
Series History vs. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt leads the all-time series between the two sides at 6-4 with the Commodores holding an 6-3 edge in Nashville. The Spartans have fallen short in the last two meetings in 2017-'18 and '18-'19 seasons.
Nation's Top Doubles Team among Historic Rankings Update for Spartans
On Feb. 7, MSU Men's Tennis received several program-best classifications in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's first individual rankings update, led by junior Max Sheldon and sophomore Ozan Baris' jump to No. 1 doubles team in the nation.
Sheldon and Baris' status as the chief pairing in the country is the first time any Spartan tennis student-athletes have topped the rankings list.
In singles, Baris remained the program's highest seeded individual at No. 6, while graduate student Ronald Hohmann III was bumped up a spot to a career-best No. 11 in the nation. MSU is one of two teams with multiple top-11 ranked players. Both Baris and Hohmann already own multiple ranked wins to their names this spring.
Also improving to a career-best rating was senior Graydon Lair at No. 112, 3-0 in singles play on the young season, up from his debut rating of 116.
In the ITA team poll, the undefeated Spartans jumped to No. 16, the fifth straight week the team has improved to a program-high mark since cracking the top 25 in the coaches poll for the first time during the preseason.
Still Perfect
Three Spartans remain undefeated in singles play and of the eleven doubles teams that have notched wins, six are also yet to drop a set.
No. 59 ranked junior Max Sheldon leads the way for the deep MSU lineup, 7-0 in singles and 5-0 in doubles so far. No. 6 ranked Baris sits at 5-0, including two ranked wins, and No. 116 Lair is undefeated in three matches.
Spartan Victorious in Greece
MSU was without Freshman Aristotelis Thanos was in his hometown Athens, Greece, over the four-match weekend of Feb. 2-4 representing his native nation alongside the likes of World No. 10 Stefanos Tsitsipas. On Saturday, Thanos defeated the world No. 265 singles player, Nicholas David Ionel, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, helping the Greeks to the next round.
"Aristotelis Thanos is the MVP of the tie with Romania, he made the difference," Tsitsipas said following what is likely the biggest win of Thanos' career. "He had a singles player against him who can play against anyone, and it was something we didn't expect. He left us speechless."
Fall Competition Accolades
Beginning the Season with Historic Rankings
Entering the season, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association slotted MSU as the No. 24 team in the nation in the preseason rankings, the first time in program history the Spartans have been named inside the top 25 since the ITA began compiling rankings in 1981.
Not only was the No. 25 team ranking a program-best but a national-high eight Spartans were ranked in the ITA's singles and doubles fall player rankings. The four ranked doubles teams was also tied for the most in the country from one program.
Spartans in ITA DI Men's Tennis Rankings Update (Feb. 14, 2024)
Singles
After a 6-1 win over Clemson last Friday, MSU holds a 9-0 record to start the season for just the second time since 1960, also accomplishing the feat in the 2011 season. A win Saturday would mark the best start to a season for the Spartans in 64 years at 10-0.
In Michigan State's nine wins, each has been won by multiple points. The Spartans have come out on top 5-2 five times, 6-1 twice, 4-0 once and 7-0 once.
Scouting Vanderbilt
The Commodores enter the matchup 7-1 on the season and 6-0 on their home courts. Vandy's lone loss of the season came as a 4-0 sweep at the hands of No. 1 Ohio State at the ITA Kickoff Weekend where the Commodores notched a 4-2 win over a solid Oregon team.
Series History vs. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt leads the all-time series between the two sides at 6-4 with the Commodores holding an 6-3 edge in Nashville. The Spartans have fallen short in the last two meetings in 2017-'18 and '18-'19 seasons.
Nation's Top Doubles Team among Historic Rankings Update for Spartans
On Feb. 7, MSU Men's Tennis received several program-best classifications in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's first individual rankings update, led by junior Max Sheldon and sophomore Ozan Baris' jump to No. 1 doubles team in the nation.
Sheldon and Baris' status as the chief pairing in the country is the first time any Spartan tennis student-athletes have topped the rankings list.
In singles, Baris remained the program's highest seeded individual at No. 6, while graduate student Ronald Hohmann III was bumped up a spot to a career-best No. 11 in the nation. MSU is one of two teams with multiple top-11 ranked players. Both Baris and Hohmann already own multiple ranked wins to their names this spring.
Also improving to a career-best rating was senior Graydon Lair at No. 112, 3-0 in singles play on the young season, up from his debut rating of 116.
In the ITA team poll, the undefeated Spartans jumped to No. 16, the fifth straight week the team has improved to a program-high mark since cracking the top 25 in the coaches poll for the first time during the preseason.
Still Perfect
Three Spartans remain undefeated in singles play and of the eleven doubles teams that have notched wins, six are also yet to drop a set.
No. 59 ranked junior Max Sheldon leads the way for the deep MSU lineup, 7-0 in singles and 5-0 in doubles so far. No. 6 ranked Baris sits at 5-0, including two ranked wins, and No. 116 Lair is undefeated in three matches.
Spartan Victorious in Greece
MSU was without Freshman Aristotelis Thanos was in his hometown Athens, Greece, over the four-match weekend of Feb. 2-4 representing his native nation alongside the likes of World No. 10 Stefanos Tsitsipas. On Saturday, Thanos defeated the world No. 265 singles player, Nicholas David Ionel, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, helping the Greeks to the next round.
"Aristotelis Thanos is the MVP of the tie with Romania, he made the difference," Tsitsipas said following what is likely the biggest win of Thanos' career. "He had a singles player against him who can play against anyone, and it was something we didn't expect. He left us speechless."
Fall Competition Accolades
- 20 total ranked wins
- 7 wins over top-25 opponents
- 15 ranked singles wins between 4 players
- 3 Doubles Titles
- ITA Fall National Championships Doubles Title (Sheldon/Baris, Nov. 5)
- Milwaukee Tennis Classic Doubles Title (Sheldon/Collard, Sep. 24)
- Gamecock Ranked Invite Doubles Title (Baris/Hohmann, Sep. 17)
- Battle in the Bay Singles Title & Runner-Up (Baris & Hohmann, Sep. 24)
- ITA All-American Championships Singles Semifinalist (Baris, Oct. 7)
Beginning the Season with Historic Rankings
Entering the season, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association slotted MSU as the No. 24 team in the nation in the preseason rankings, the first time in program history the Spartans have been named inside the top 25 since the ITA began compiling rankings in 1981.
Not only was the No. 25 team ranking a program-best but a national-high eight Spartans were ranked in the ITA's singles and doubles fall player rankings. The four ranked doubles teams was also tied for the most in the country from one program.
Spartans in ITA DI Men's Tennis Rankings Update (Feb. 14, 2024)
Singles
- No. 6 – Ozan Baris
- No. 11 – Ronald Hohmann III
- No. 97 – Max Sheldon
- No. 112 – Graydon Lair
- No. 1 – Max Sheldon/Ozan Baris
- No. 57 – Ronald Hohmann III/Sebastien Collard
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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