STARKVILLE, Miss. – Jacksonville State women's tennis finished up their opening weekend of play on Saturday night with a hard-fought 4-1 loss at Mississippi State. The Gamecocks again claimed the doubles point but could not tally the necessary singles wins to clinch a match victory. 

"Most people will look at the 0-2 record and stop there," head coach Michael Helms said. "You certainly never want the season to start off that way, but the girls fought hard and put us in a position to win against two very good tennis programs. That's all you can really ask for. It's a process and we will get there. There's tons of opportunity ahead."
 
Friday's season-opening loss to Middle Tennessee saw Jax State (0-2) get off on the right foot with a dominant showing in doubles action, and a similar start occurred on Saturday versus the Bulldogs (2-0). Zuzana Pavelekova and Anna Syrova scored a 7-5 victory in the second doubles showdown before Irene Artigas and Dariana Prato posted a 7-5 result on court three to clinch the doubles point. 
 
Mississippi State picked up four straight wins in one-on-one action to finish the Saturday evening affair. Those quick wins came on courts one, two, three, and six, with the clincher coming in the No. 3 singles flight. Irene Artigas was down a set but battling in the second frame when play was halted. Zuzana Pavelekova actually held a one-set advantage over MSU's Jayna Clemens, but their match was abandoned with the junior leading 6-3, 3-5. 
 
The Gamecocks return to action on Fri., Jan. 19, as they make the trek to Richmond, Ky., to play former ASUN Conference foe Eastern Kentucky. That match in the Bluegrass State will start at 10 a.m. CT.
 
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