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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Netters Seek SEC West Title Against Arkansas Friday
4/2/2003 | Men's Tennis
April 2, 2003
OXFORD, Miss. -
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The Ole Miss men's tennis team, who remained at No. 5 in the nation this week, will try to clinch their second straight SEC Western Division Championship Friday when they host Arkansas at 2 p.m. at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. Sunday, the Rebels will welcome LSU at 1 p.m. for Senior Day.
The Rebels come into Friday's match with a 14-3 overall record and leading the SEC West at 6-2. With a win over Arkansas, the Rebels can secure the SEC West title regardless of what happens in their remaining two matches. Auburn stands in second in the West at 4-4, and the Rebels beat the Tigers 4-3.
Ole Miss is coming off a successful road trip last weekend in which they came back to post 4-3 wins against Georgia and Tennessee. The Rebels improved to 4-0 on the road in the SEC.
Senior Alex Hartman captured his 100th career victory, defeating Georgia's Bo Hodge to become the second Rebel to reach the 100-win plateau. Hartman is second in career wins behind three-time All-American Johan Hede, who recorded 135 victories.
Junior Paul Ciorascu remained undefeated in the SEC (8-0) and is now 15-2 in dual matches. Ciorascu has won seven in a row and 11 of his last 12. He has not lost a set in any of his 15 dual match wins.
"This is a huge weekend for us," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "Arkansas has a win over No. 10 Vanderbilt, so we know they are capable of a big victory. Our team has their sights on the SEC Western Division Championship, and we are looking forward to Friday's match-up. We would like to encourage everyone to come out and help us bring home another SEC title."
Arkansas comes into the weekend at 9-10 overall and 2-6 in the SEC. They are coming off a tough 4-3 loss to Texas Tuesday night. In their last SEC match, Arkansas dropped a 7-0 decision to Kentucky. Playing without its top player, Nathan Price, the Razorbacks have had to juggle their lineup. Aleksey Bubis has been playing No. 1 for the Razorbacks and is 1-6 there and 17-19 overall. Ole Miss has won 13 in a row over Arkansas, including last year's 5-2 win.
LSU enters the weekend at 10-6 overall and 3-5 in the SEC. They are coming off a 4-2 win over No. 12 Kentucky last Sunday. The Tigers are led by 38th-ranked Peter Richman, who owns a 14-13 overall record. The Tigers have featured several different lineups during the season, with two players splitting time at No. 1 singles. Ole Miss defeated LSU 4-3 last year in Baton Rouge.
The Rebels will honor their two seniors, Hartman and Patrick Chucri, prior to the match with LSU. Hartman and Chucri have been a big part of the success of the team during the last four years. Both helped lead the Rebels to the SEC West title and the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" in 2002. This year they have been instrumental in the Rebels' earning a top five ranking and competing for another SEC title.