STARKVILLE, Miss. – Jacksonville State women's tennis jumped out to an early lead but could not clinch their season-opening match on Friday afternoon at the Rula Tennis Pavilion in Starkville, Miss. Instead, the Gamecocks dropped four competitive singles flights to fall, 4-3, to Middle Tennessee in that neutral site showdown. 
 
Jax State (0-1) got off to a very nice start in StarkVegas. Following a tough loss on court two in doubles competition, the tandem of Irene Artigas and Dariana Prato scored a 6-3 victory in the third flight to force a winner-take-all situation in the No. 1 doubles matchup. In the top pairing, it was Jacksonville State's duo of Polina Ramenskaja and Serafima Shastova who came out on top, 6-3, to clinch the match's opening point. 
 
Singles play started similarly dominant for the Red-and-White. Prato picked up a 6-3, 6-3, win in the No. 3 singles flight and Zuzana Pavelekova won, 6-3, 6-3, in the final court to put Jax State on top 3-0. Unfortunately, Middle Tennessee (1-0) won the remaining four one-on-one matches- benefiting from two three-set triumphs- to earn a 4-3 victory in an absolute battle. 
 
With the season opener in the rearview, Michael Helms' squad prepares for their second match in as many days on Saturday afternoon. The Gamecocks will take on the host of the tri-match event, Mississippi State, at 4 p.m. tomorrow in Starkville. It will be a rematch of last year's early-season classic in the Magnolia State that the Bulldogs won, 4-3. 
 
Links to watch or follow along with live stats for tomorrow's match will be provided at JaxStateSports.com. The Gamecocks return home on Sun., Jan. 21, as they will welcome Jackson State to the Jax State Tennis Courts for the 2024 home opener.
 
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jax State Women's Tennis), Instagram (@JaxStateWTEN), and X (@JaxStateWTEN) accounts.