It might only be January, but the spring collegiate tennis season is here. The Chattanooga Mocs men’s tennis team is set to open its 2025 this Friday with a pair of matches against nationally ranked No. 11 Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi.
Chattanooga (0-0) will play a Friday doubleheader against No. 11 Mississippi State (1-0) with the first match kicking off at 1 p.m. ET and the nightcap to follow shortly after. It marks back-to-back seasons where the Mocs and Bulldogs meet in Starkville.
Chattanooga enters season coming off a third-straight Southern Conference semifinals appearance following last year’s 2024 campaign.
The Mocs return eight letterwinners to this year’s roster with six competing as regular starters a season ago. SoCon Freshman of the Year Jakub Jupa returns for his sophomore season after finishing his rookie season 19-8 overall in singles action which includes a 6-1 mark at No. 1 singles inside league play.
Mississippi State enters the weekend ranked No. 11 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings and is coming off a season-opening 7-0 shutout over Southern Conference-member Samford on Sunday. The Bulldogs finished the 2024 season 19-8 overall (9-3 SEC) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 before being eliminated by No. 1 Ohio State 4-1 in Columbus, Ohio.
Chattanooga will remain on the road for its third and fourth matches of the year with a Friday/Saturday weekend in Atlanta against Georgia State and South Carolina State. The match at Georgia State kicks off at 10 a.m. on Friday before the neutral contest against SC State commences at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Stick to GoMocs.com and the schedule pages for all updates and matchday links.