The University of Mississippi Athletics
Lady Rebel Netters Seventh In Fall Team Rankings
12/7/1999 | Women's Tennis
Dec. 7, 1999
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss women's tennis team is ranked No. 7 in the first national ranking for the 1999-2000 season and also leads the nation with five players ranked in the top 30. This marks the fifth consecutive year the Lady Rebels have been ranked in the nation's top 10.
The Lady Rebels return four of the six players from last years' SEC Tournament Championship team. The 1999 team reached the NCAA quarterfinals and ended the year ranked No. 6 in the nation, the highest final ranking ever in the history of the program.
Stanford is rated No. 1 followed by Florida, California, Duke, Georgia and UCLA. Pepperdine, Texas and Southern California round out the top 10.The SEC leads the nation with eight teams among the Top 25.
"I am very proud of Celeste, Ivona, Mira, Julie and Mariana for their hard work and dedication this fall," head coach Jerry Montgomery said. "Their rankings are a good indication of the potential we have to be very successful this spring. I am also pleased with Celeste's and Mariana's doubles rankings. They competed hard this fall and it is exciting to think about their possibilities this spring and for the NCAA Championships."
Senior Celeste Frey leads the Lady Rebels earning a No. 6 ranking. Frey posted an 8-3 record this fall including a final four appearance in the National Clay Court Championships and the prestigious Riviera All-American Championships.
Ivona Mihailova moved up to No. 14 after going 6-3 in the fall. She also reached the semifinals at the National Clay Court Championships. Mariana Eberle enters the rankings for the first time at No. 63, with a 6-3 record. She advanced to the main draw at the National Clay Court Championships.
Freshmen Mira Radu and Julie DeRoo both made headlines in their debuts this fall and the rankings reflect that as both earned a spot in the top 30. Radu went from No. 77 to 26th in the rankings with a 17-4 record. She won the Robert Allison Fall Invitational in her first tournament, and advanced to the finals of the ITA South Regional Championships, qualifying her for the Rolex National Indoor. DeRoo debuts in the rankings at No. 30. She captured the Rice Tennis Classic in her first tournament and finished with a 13-3 record.
In doubles, Frey and Eberle moved up to No. 3 with a 7-3 record. The pair reached the semifinals at the All-American Championships.
The Lady Rebels open the 2000 season Jan. 27 at home against Middle Tennessee.