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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis Remains No. 5 In National Rankings
4/9/2003 | Men's Tennis
April 9, 2003
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss men's tennis team stayed at No. 5 in this week's Omni Hotels National Rankings. The Rebels have three players in the nation's top 30 in singles and feature the top-ranked doubles team in the SEC.
The Rebels clinched their second straight SEC Western Division Championship last Friday with a 7-0 win over Arkansas. On Sunday they defeated LSU 5-1. Ole Miss will conclude the regular season Saturday at arch-rival Mississippi State. The Rebels and Bulldogs will square off at 1 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
Senior Alex Hartman moved up to No. 9 in the nation in singles. This week's SEC Player of the Week, Hartman has won three of his last four, including a win over the No. 3 ranked player. He owns a 24-9 overall record, 14-5 at No. 1 singles. Hartman became the fourth Rebel to win 100 matches in a career two weeks ago and is the second winningest player in the history of the program with 102 wins.
Sophomore Catalin Gard is ranked No. 24 with a 25-9 overall record, 14-4 in dual matches. Gard is 6-3 in the SEC this season to bring his career conference record to 14-6. He has won eight of his last nine.
With steady play all season, junior Paul Ciorascu has remained in the top 30 in the national rankings and is ranked No. 27 this week. He is undefeated in the SEC at 10-0, and with a win Saturday, Ciorascu would become the second Rebel to go undefeated in the SEC regular season. Former All-American Johan Hede did it in 1996. Ciorascu has won nine in a row and 13 of his last 14.
Hartman and Claes Lindholm stayed at No. 11 in the doubles rankings. They are the highest ranked doubles team in the SEC. The two own a 14-3 record at No. 1 doubles this season and are 24-8 in two years as a team.
Following the MSU match, Ole Miss will host the 2003 SEC Championship April 17-20 at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. A four-day pass can be purchased for $20, and single session tickets are available for $7. Children under 12 years of age get in free, and college students are free with college ID. To order tickets call (662) 915-7167 or (888) 732-8587.