Mississippi State men’s tennis coach Matt Roberts and seniors Nuno Borges and Trevor Foshey wandered through the underbelly of Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday morning.
As they made their way through the winding halls beneath the basketball arena, they strode into the Babe McCarthy Media Room.
The trio took their seats atop a podium in front of a maroon MSU backdrop.
Roberts joked he hadn’t been in the room since his introductory press conference five years ago. Neither Borges nor Foshey had been there before.
But for a program that has now made the NCAA round of 16 three times in four years thanks to a senior class that has brought Roberts’ vision to fruition, there’s reason for upgraded scenery.
“After my first year, it was tough,” Roberts said. “It almost broke me and made realize nothing is easy in life and you can’t just walk into a position and succeed. You have to work your butt off.”
“So to see them not only like it here but turn into these unbelievable men they are and take what we’ve provided for them to their lives after college has been amazing for me to want to continue this profession and want to continue my philosophy, my purpose as a head coach.”
Foshey and Borges are part of a four-man senior class that also includes Strahinja Rakic and Niclas Braun.
The quartet came to Starkville as part of Roberts’ first full recruiting class in the 2015-2016 season. As a group, they have combined for four straight NCAA tournament appearances, three round of 16s and one quarterfinal finish.
“Trevor was one of our first guys,” Roberts said of how the class fell into place. “We had two guys on our team for the next year and he just trusted us and then we built from that.”
Individually, the group has piled up Southeastern Conference and national honors.
Borges has been among the most prolific players in MSU men’s tennis history. He holds program records in overall wins, singles wins and dual match singles wins. He currently sits at 31-2 in singles this season and became the first player in conference history to be named SEC Player of the Year three times.
Rakic, Foshey and Braun also boast their own individual accolades. Rakic was named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American in 2018 and earned first team All-SEC honors the same season.
Foshey was named last year’s SEC Tournament MVP, while Braun has twice been named to the All-SEC second team.
“When I’m out there playing it’s easy because I’ve got these guys next to me,” Foshey said.
After defeating Alabama State and South Alabama in the opening rounds of the NCAA Championships last week, MSU takes on Texas Christian University at 1 p.m. Saturday at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville with a quarterfinal berth on the line.
The Bulldogs and Horned Frogs have met twice this season, once in a “secret” match in Arizona and once at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship — a 4-1 TCU victory.
MSU took an early lead in the lone official match between the squads, winning the doubles point thanks to victories by the teams of Borges and Rakic, and Foshey and freshman Gregor Ramskogler.
The Horned Frogs took charge in the singles portion, winning at Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 to close out the victory.
“They’re well coached, good group of guys,” Roberts said. “They compete hard, so we know we’re ready for a battle and we’re going to get their best shot.”
Though the immediate focus is on TCU, there’s a seeming understanding between Borges, Rakic, Braun and Foshey that their collegiate careers are coming to an end. And while their days in the maroon and white are numbered, their relationships stand to last.
“I think that we would all agree on, when you put things into perspective, tennis is not everything,” Foshey said. “But now I’ve got a group of guys that I’m going to see at my wedding, or I can go home and play cards or video games with if we have a couple minutes. I think that was the best thing that came out of this.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.