Mississippi State’s Matt Roberts selected as Southern Region Coach of the Year

Oct 9, 2016; Tulsa, OK, USA; Nuno Borges of Mississippi State returns the ball in a match against Brandon Holt of USC at Case Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2016; Tulsa, OK, USA; Nuno Borges of Mississippi State returns the ball in a match against Brandon Holt of USC at Case Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Roberts selected as Southern Coach of the year after leading Mississippi State to Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament

Matt Robert coming of his third season as the head men’s tennis coach, has been awarded the ITA Southern Coach of the Year. Roberts lead Mississippi State to a 21-9 record this season, as well as a SEC Championship appearance and a Round of 32 NCAA Tournament appearance. Thorough out  his short career as Mississippi State’s head coach, Roberts has experienced success leading the Bulldogs to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

Roberts has experienced success from adding players from overseas, as only one member on the 2016-2017 roster is from the United States. The team consists of players from:  Portugal, Bosnia And Herzegovina, France, Germany, South Africa, and Serbia.

Matt Roberts himself has experience with playing SEC Tennis, as he was a three time captain at the University of Arkansas, from 2003-2006.

This isn’t the first Coach of the Year award Roberts has won either, he was awarded the ITA Southern Region Assistant Coach of the year, during the 2013-2014 season, while at Mississippi State.

Mississippi State’s 2016-2017 season ended in Norman, Oklahoma as the Bulldogs lost 4-1, in their NCAA Tournament match against Oklahoma.

However, Roberts returns SEC Player of the Year Nuno Borges, and will only lose two seniors of this year’s team. With the wealth of experience returning on this team, and — not to mention — one of the top coaches in the country, it’s hard not to be excited for the future of Mississippi State’s tennis team.

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