.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis Faces Key SEC Opponents
4/5/2001 | Men's Tennis
April 5, 2001
OXFORD, Miss. - The No. 11 nationally-ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team will host Tennessee and Florida this weekend in a pair of key SEC matches at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
The Rebels kick off the weekend with No. 7 Tennessee on Friday at 2:00 p.m in a battle for second place in the SEC. Ole Miss comes into the weekend with a 14-4 overall record, 5-2 in the SEC. In their last action, the Rebels defeated Kentucky 4-3, and Vanderbilt 6-1, on the road.
"Tennessee has established themselves as one of the top teams in the country," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "Last year, Tennessee made the NCAA Final Four as well as winning the SEC Championship. We are both tied for second place in the race for the conference championship and this match is very important to both squads. This promises to be an exciting match and we would like to encourage our students and the local community to come out and show their support for the Rebels."
Junior Kristofer Stahlberg, ranked No. 38 in the nation, will put his 16-0 dual match record on the line as he debuts at No. 1 singles this weekend. Stahlberg went 14-0 at No. 3 before moving up to the No. 2 spot last weekend. He won both his matches in the wins over Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
Alex Hartman posted victories over two nationally-ranked players last weekend to improve to 24-10 on the year. He and Patrick Chucri have won four in a row at No. 2 doubles.
Tennessee comes into Friday's match with a 12-4 overall record and an identical 5-2 conference mark. They are coming off a 6-1 loss to No. 5 Georgia on Sunday. The Vols other SEC loss came at LSU (4-1). Senior Mark Parsons, this week's SEC Player of the Week, leads the Vols. He has won three consecutive matches over ranked opponents ending a six-match losing streak.
The two teams have met once already this year, with Tennessee prevailing 4-2 at the National Team Indoor. Ole Miss defeated the Vols 4-3 last year in Knoxville. The last time the two teams played in Oxford (1999), Tennessee upset the Rebels 4-3.
On Sunday, Ole Miss will host Florida at 1:00 p.m. Florida is currently 9-11 overall and 3-4 in the SEC after Wednesday's 4-2 loss to Alabama. The Gators are led by 47th-ranked Jeremy Wurtzman, who defeated a top 10 player last weekend. Florida plays at Mississippi State Friday, before coming to Oxford, a place they have not won at since 1993. The Rebels will be looking to snap a three-match losing streak to the Gators.