MSU dropped the doubles point, losing two of three matches. Seniors Max and Mitchell Sheldon secured the lone win, defeating Arizona’s Iñaki Cabrera-Bello and Casper Christensen 6-4. Sophomore Taym Alazmeh and freshman Vuk Radjenovic fell 6-2 to Filip Gustafsson and Glib Sekachov.

“Arizona is a really tough team as they are back-to-back Pac-12 champs and a top 10 team in the country,” head coach Harry Jadunn said. “I'm so glad our guys toughed it after that doubles point, we didn't close it out and that was a big momentum shift but our guys did a great job bouncing back.”

In the deciding doubles match, tied 5-5 with Arizona leading 30-0, Star Ozan Baris put MSU on the board at 30-15. However, he was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving the Wildcats another point and shifting the score to 40-15. The call fueled Arizona’s momentum, as they closed out the match 7-6.

“I disagree with the call, but the ref made the call and stuck with it,” Jadunn said. “You see a lot of extracurricular stuff happen in college tennis, I don't think looking at the other guy after you hit a big shot should warrant a point penalty.”

During the singles matches, the Spartans took over as they would win four out of six singles matches. 

Redshirt junior Aristotelis Thanos, senior Max Sheldon, and freshman Matthew Forbes delivered dominant performances, putting MSU ahead 3-2. Freshman Vuk Radjenovic sealed the victory, outlasting senior Casper Christensen in a three-set battle, 6-2, 0-6, 6-3.

With the win, MSU begins a three-match road trip against Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Indiana, starting Friday, March 14, against the Badgers.