The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women's Tennis Set To Begin Competing In NCAA Championships
5/8/2002 | Women's Tennis
May 8, 2002
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss women's tennis team, ranked No. 33 in the nation, will begin competing in the 2002 NCAA Championships Friday in Athens, Ga. The Lady Rebels will face 28th-ranked South Alabama in the first round at 10 a.m at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
Ole Miss is making its seventh consecutive NCAA appearance and 10th overall. The Lady Rebels have participated in the NCAA Championships every year since 1996 and also in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
The Lady Rebels enter the NCAA Championships with a 12-10 overall record. They are led by All-SEC selection Mira Radu, ranked No. 15 in the nation with a 33-14 record, 14-7 at No. 1 singles. Senior Alesya Ignatieva is ranked No. 67 with a 21-9 overall record, 15-4 at No. 2 singles.
South Alabama ended the regular season with a 17-7 record. They went 3-1 in the Sunbelt Conference. The Jaguars are led by freshman and 43rd-ranked Viktoria Stoklasova, and freshman Josien Boverhof. South Alabama has won 12 of its last 13 matches.
"We are very excited to be going be in the NCAA Championships for the seventh year in a row," head coach Mark Beyers said. "We played South Alabama earlier this season and won 4-3. Back then they did not have their entire team. At full strength, they will be a tough assignment for us. We would like another opportunity at Georgia. The last time we faced them in Athens, we almost pulled off the upset."
In their last meeting, Ole Miss rallied from an 0-2 deficit to defeat South Alabama on Feb. 15 in Oxford. This will be the second meeting in three years in the NCAA Championships. The Lady Rebels dropped a hard-fought 5-4 decision to South Alabama in the second round of the NCAA Championships in 2000.
The winner of this match will meet the victor of the Georgia/Winthrop match on Saturday at 4 p.m. for the right to advance to the Sweet Sixteen in Palo Alto, Calif. May 16-19. The Lady Rebels have reached the Sweet Sixteen seven times.
