Jan. 24, 2002

WACO, Texas - In their season dual match opener, the Baylor men's tennis team, ranked No. 16 nationally, goes head-to-head against No. 14 Mississippi State with matches on Saturday, January 26 at 2:00 p.m. at the Baylor Tennis Center.

The Bears open this season with a large number of players nationally ranked. Freshman Benni Becker leads the team ranked No. 3, while sophomores Markus Hornung and Reiner Neurohr come in at No. 25 and No. 91, respectively. In doubles rankings, Hornung and Neurohr grab the No. 8 spot, Becker and Hornung earn the No. 19 spot, and junior Zoltan Papp and sophomore Nathan McGregor slide in at No. 57.

The last time these two teams met, Mississippi State edged Baylor 4-3 in Starkville. Mississippi State brings a talented group with two nationally ranked singles players, No. 15 Romain Ambert and No. 59 Rene-Charles Combette. They also boast two nationally ranked doubles teams with Ambert and Combette ranked No. 40 and of Luiz Carvalho/ Jerome Lebelicard ranked No. 52.