Roberts chosen Southern Region Coach of Year
After leading the Mississippi State men's tennis team to one of the most winningest seasons in program history, third-year head coach Matt Roberts was selected as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Southern Region Coach of the Year.
Roberts became the first MSU head coach to win the award since 2013, joining Sylvain Guichard (2005) and Per Nilsson (2011, 2013) as the program's only recipients.
“It's an honor to receive this award as there are so many great coaches in the Southern Region,” Roberts said. “Each year I feel like everyone is recruiting harder and developing more intensely. This is a great honor and very humbling to receive as a coach.”
Roberts was selected the ITA Southern Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2014, before taking over the helm.
“This is a great pat on the back, but the real award is working with this amazing team,” Roberts said. “It's such an honor to coach a team that works as hard as they do each and every day together. We have created a great thing here and I'm proud to be a part of this culture and family at MSU.”
This season, Roberts led the Bulldogs to a 21-9 record on the court, which ranks as the most wins for any State squad since 1998. The 21 wins in 2017 is tied for fourth most all-time in program history.
Roberts also guided the Bulldogs to their first Southeastern Conference finals appearance since 1996, while also leading MSU to another NCAA
Tournament berth. Last season, Roberts became the youngest coach in program history to reach the NCAA Round of 16. Overall, Roberts is 59-26 in his three seasons with the Bulldogs. The 59 wins rank
fifth overall in career coaching victories for the tennis program, while his .694 career winning percentage is second all-time at MSU.