The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis To Host NCAA Regional
5/2/2002 | Men's Tennis
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May 2, 2002
OXFORD, Miss. - The No. 7 nationally-ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team earned the No. 9 seed overall in the 2002 NCAA Tennis Championships, and will host one of the 16 regionals May 11-12 at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
Coming to Oxford for the four-team regional will be Alabama, Brown and Middle Tennessee State. The Rebels are the No. 1 seed in the regional followed by Alabama, Middle Tennessee and Brown.
Ole Miss is making its ninth consecutive NCAA appearance and 11th overall. This also marks the third time in the last four years that the Rebels have hosted a regional.
"We are very excited about hosting a regional," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "We've had a great year so far, winning the SEC West and finishing second overall in a conference that placed all 12 teams in the NCAA Championships. It is a huge advantage for us to host. We are 9-1 at home this year, and we hope to use that home court success to advance to the Sweet Sixteen."
Alabama comes into the NCAA Championships ranked No. 18 in the country with a 15-7 record. They finished 7-5 in the SEC. The Rebels defeated the Crimson Tide 6-0 during the regular season meeting in Oxford. The Crimson Tide are led by 53rd-ranked Max Belski at the top spot.
Middle Tennessee State, a member of the Sunbelt Conference, enters the NCAA Championships ranked No. 41 at 16-7 overall. They are led by 14th-ranked sophomore Daniel Klemetz at No. 1 singles.
Brown University, champions of the Ivy League, bring a 16-9 record into the NCAA Championships. They went 7-0 in conference play to capture their first-ever league title and are ranked No. 46 in the country. The Bears are led by senior Nick Malone.
The Rebels will play Brown University Saturday at 11 a.m. Alabama and Middle Tennessee State will meet at 2:00 p.m. The final will be played at Noon on Sunday, with the winner advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in College Station, Texas, May 18-21.
The Southeastern Conference once again showed why it is considered the top conference in the nation on Thursday, as all 12 SEC schools were invited to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. Six of the SEC's 12 teams were announced as host sites on Thursday. Ole Miss will be joined as a host site by No. 1-ranked Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Auburn and Florida.
The NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship selections were also announced Thursday, and junior All-American Alex Hartman earned a spot in the 64-player singles field. A three-time All-SEC honoree, Hartman is making his third NCAA appearance in singles. The individual championships run May 22-26.
For information on tickets to the regional, fans can call 662-915-7167 or toll-free 1-888-732-8587.
