The University of Mississippi Athletics
Lady Rebel Netters Finish Sixth in National Rankings
6/21/1999 | Women's Tennis
June 3, 1999
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss women's tennis team earned their highest end of the year ranking ever at No. 6 in the nation in the final Division I ITA Collegiate Rankings released Thursday. The Lady Rebels ended their best season ever at 24-5 overall, won the SEC Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals.
It marks the fourth year in a row that the Lady Rebels have ended the year ranked in the top 10. The Lady Rebels recorded the most wins in the history of the program and upset NCAA runner-up Florida to win their first-ever SEC Tournament title.
"It's been a challenge for us this year to stay focused and live up to our potential," head coach Jerry Montgomery said. "I am happy to say that we achieved our goals and had a great run in April and May. This is our highest end of the year national ranking ever and it sets a standard that my future teams will be challenged by."
The Lady Rebels finished the year winning 12 of 13 matches including a win over Georgia and the win over Florida to win the program's first SEC title. Their 12-2 conference record was the best ever. The Lady Rebels also achieved one of their goals of making the top five in the national rankings, as they spent a month ranked No. 5 in the nation.
Ole Miss posted nine wins over teams that finished ranked in the top 20 including two in the top five. Their SEC record was an outstanding accomplishment with eight teams ranked in the Top 25.
The Lady Rebels were led by senior Agnes Muzamel, who finished ranked No. 8 in the nation and earned All-America honors for the fourth time. She became only the second player ever to earn All-America honors four years, joining former standout Paloma Collantes as the only four-time All-Americans in the history of the program.
Junior Celeste Frey finished ranked 26th in the nation, while Ivona Mihailova ended ranked 31st. Frey posted the best record on the team with a 36-19 overall mark. Mihailova had an excellent year, finishing with a 30-7 overall record, 25-3 in dual matches. She earned All-SEC honors in doubles.
In the doubles rankings, Muzamel and Courtenay Chapman ended the season ranked No. 22, while Frey and Mariana Eberle came in at No. 13. Muzamel and Chapman earned All-SEC honors at No. 2 doubles.
