The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis Set To Begin SEC Title Quest
2/26/2002 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 26, 2002
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss men's tennis team gets set to begin its quest for an SEC Championship this weekend, with the start of conference play. The Rebels, ranked No. 6 in the nation, open up at No. 28 Florida on Friday at 3 p.m., CST.
The Rebels (5-1) have not played a match since the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor. There, they finished fifth with wins over Indiana State and No. 10 Notre Dame. The Rebels only loss to date came against Illinois (ranked No. 2) in the second round of the National Team Indoor.
Alex Hartman, ranked No. 22 in singles, leads the Rebels with a 9-4 record. He is one of five SEC players ranked among the top 25. Senior Kristofer Stahlberg loves the SEC and his results over the last three years prove it. He owns a 29-7 record against league foes in three years, for an impressive .805 winning percentage.
Florida comes into the match with a 5-1 record. They are coming off a 5-2 win over Rice. Prior to that match, the Gators lost a tough 4-3 match at No. 14 Texas A&M.. Junior transfer Eleazar Magallan is ranked No. 47 in singles. The Gators also boast the No. 18 and No. 26 doubles teams in the country.
On Sunday, the Rebels will face No. 31 South Carolina in Columbia. South Carolina brings a 6-0 record into SEC action. The Gamecocks edged North Carolina 4-3, in their last outing on Sunday. They are led by Seth Rose, who is 7-4 overall, 2-1 at No. 1 singles.
This weekend could be a banner one for head coach Billy Chadwick, who with two wins would earn his 300th career victory with the Rebels. Chadwick recorded his 400th overall coaching victory last year in the win over Jackson State in the NCAA Championships first round. That total includes 107 wins as the head coach of the Lady Rebels.
