The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis To Host Southern Mississippi Wednesday
2/23/2004 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 23, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - The No. 4 nationally-ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team will get back into action Wednesday as they host Southern Mississippi at 2 p.m., at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. In the event of inclement weather, the match will be played at the Gillom Sports Center.
In their last action, the two-time defending SEC Champion Rebels reached the semifinals of the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor. The team rallied to defeat 11th-ranked Washington, 4-3, on their home courts and then knocked off No. 2 Baylor, 4-3, to reach the semis against No. 6 UCLA. The Rebels held a 3-1 lead against the Bruins, but ran out of gas, as UCLA came back to win, 4-3. It marked the Rebels' third semifinal appearance at the national team indoor.
Senior Claes Lindholm has been one of the most consistent performers for the Rebels in his first two seasons, and this year has been no different. Lindholm is off to a 6-0 start at No. 3 singles, improving his career dual match record to 44-6.
The top three in the Rebels' lineup are a combined 14-4, with junior Catalin Gard and senior Paul Ciorascu's 4-2 records. Gard has posted two wins over top five opponents this season, and Ciorascu defeated the nation's No. 5 player in the team's win over Baylor.
"We are very excited about playing in-state rival Southern Mississippi," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "They played Auburn to 4-3 last week, so we know they have a good squad. We have had a good break. We were able to concentrate on conditioning and begin the transition from playing indoors to playing outdoors. We want to encourage the fans to come out and watch some great tennis."
Southern Mississippi comes into the match with a 1-2 record. They are coming off a 4-3 win over Samford last Saturday. After losing the doubles point, the Golden Eagles won at the Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 6 singles positions to earn the necessary four points for their first win of the spring. In addition to the 4-3 loss against No. 28 Auburn, Southern Miss lost 7-0, to No. 15 LSU. The Golden Eagles are led by junior David Canudas, who is 2-1 at No. 1 singles.
Following Wednesday's match, the Rebels will host Tennessee Tech Saturday at Noon.
