The University of Mississippi Athletics
Lady Rebel Netters To Begin Spring Ranked No. 36
1/13/2003 | Women's Tennis
Jan. 13, 2003
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss women's tennis team begins the 2003 season ranked No. 36 in the nation and boast one of the premier players in the country in the Omni Hotels preseason national rankings released Monday. Senior All-American Mira Radu earned a top 10 ranking after an excellent fall.
The Lady Rebels ended the 2002 season ranked No. 35 in the nation. Ole Miss returns five of the top six from a team that made its seventh consecutive NCAA appearance and came within one point of winning the SEC Western Division title.
The SEC boast three teams in the top 10 and six in the Top 25, led by No. 2 Florida and No. 3 Georgia. Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina round out the league in the Top 25.
"Mira being in the top 10 is a great accomplishment for her," head coach Mark Beyers said. She is very deserving. She has proven that she belongs up there. We've seen steady improvement from her since her junior year. Obviously we are going to rely on her a lot this year.
"As far as the team, it's just a preseason ranking. We are going to have to prove on the court that we are better than the ranking indicates. What matters, is where we finish, and we have an opportunity to be successful with five of the top six players from last year back."
Radu is one of five SEC players ranked among the top 10, as she begins her final dual match season ranked No. 8 in the nation. She posted a 33-16 overall record last year and finished among the top 20 on her way to earning All-America honors. She continued her stellar play last fall reaching the semifinals at the prestigious Riviera All-American Championships and finishing with an 8-2 record. Both losses came against top five players.
Freshman Virginia Tomatis debuted in the rankings at No. 118 after a successful start to her career. She posted a 5-3 record during the fall and was co-champion of the SEC Fall Coaches Classic "B" Division. Junior Karem Harboe is ranked No. 122. She looks to continue where she left off last season after going 22-11.
Only results from the fall season were considered for this ranking, which was voted on by the ITA National Ranking Committee. The next singles and doubles ranking will be administered by the ITA computer system. Starting Jan. 29, team rankings will be released weekly through May. The next individual ranking will be released Feb. 26 and continue every other week through May.
The Lady Rebels open the season Jan. 18 at home against Jacksonville State. The match will be played at the Gillom Sports Center at 11:00 a.m.
