Long snapper Robich commits to Bulldogs
It appears that Mississippi State special teams coordinator Matt Brock may have found a player to take care of the long snapping responsibilities for the next few years.
Over the weekend, Rex Robich made the announcement through social media that he was committing to the Bulldogs.
“I’m extremely blessed to be announcing my commitment to Mississippi State University,” Robich wrote on Twitter. “It’s an honor to have this opportunity to further my academic and athletic career at the highest level.”
Robich is a 6-4, 219-pound performer from Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, Florida. In his message, Robich mentioned those who have been in his corner to this point of his football career and to the coach who expressed interest in him coming to MSU.
“I want to thank my parents and family for always encouraging me and supporting my love for the game,” Robich wrote. “Thank you to all the coaches I’ve had throughout the years, you’ve each helped make me a better person and athlete. Also a big thank you to coach Brock for offering me this opportunity. I’m ready to GET TO WORK!”
GREENVILLE, S.C. — By stepping up at critical moments in both doubles and singles, Mississippi State’s women’s tennis team captured its first road victory of the 2021 season Sunday in an impressive 6-1 decision at Furman. The match was played indoors at Furman’s four-court Mickel Tennis Center.
With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 2-0 this season while the Paladins fell to 0-3, all three setbacks having come to Southeastern Conference teams.
“I am very proud of our team’s effort today,” MSU head coach Daryl Greenan said. “We overcame a very solid opponent and a lot of adversity. It is always a challenge playing on the road. It gets even more difficult when matches are moved indoors where courts are faster and lighting is not what you are used to. We definitely did not play our best tennis even considering how early it is in the season but we fought very hard. Without that extra effort we would not have won all four matches that went the full three sets. It easily could have been a different outcome if it wasn’t for the collective effort we displayed.”
The Bulldogs relied on triumphs on courts 2 and 3 to claim the doubles point and jump ahead of the Paladins early. On court one, Chloé Cirotte and Tamara Racine fell to Furman’s 27th-ranked tandem of Julia Adams and Katarina Kozarov 6-3. Then on court two, State’s duo of Magda Adaloglou and Lilian Poling downed Madison Dillon and Ellie Schoppe by the same margin. The doubles point was decided in a tiebreaker on court three, where Bulldogs Emma Antonaki and Alexandra Mikhailuk edged Furman’s Maryann Rompf and Georgie Walker 7-6(5) to give MSU the early 1-0 advantage.
In singles, the Paladins grabbed the first match to finish when Furman’s 15th-ranked Kozarov held off State’s Racine 6-1, 6-4 at the top spot in the lineup to tie the match at 1-1. With the match still very much in the balance, courts 2-4 went to the a third set, but the Bulldogs claimed all three contests to clinch the victory.
Mikhailuk responded for MSU with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Rompf at No. 4 for her fourth consecutive triumph and sixth in her last seven outings. State’s Adaloglou edged Dillon 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in a three-set battle at the third position. It was the MSU veteran’s 10th win in her last 11 matches dating back to the 2020 campaign.
MSU’S 69th-ranked Antonaki provided the heroics on court 2 as she rallied back from dropping the first set to oust the Paladins’ Adams 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) and clinched the match for the Bulldogs. The comeback kept her win streak – which now stands at nine straight victories - intact.
State extended its lead to 5-1 when the senior transfer Poling rolled past Furman’s Schoppe 6-2, 6-2 at the No. 5 spot.
In the final match to finish, MSU’S Cirotte capped the successful day by ousting Paladin Maggie Pate 6-2, 4-6, 1-0(3) on court 6. The triumph marked the first dual match victory of the true freshman’s Bulldog career.
State will host Memphis Friday to kick off a seven-match homestand in Starkville.