The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women's Tennis Set To Open SEC Play This Weekend
2/25/2004 | Women's Tennis
Feb. 25, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - The 30th-ranked Ole Miss women's tennis team will open up Southeastern Conference play this weekend with a pair of matches against top-ranked opponents. On Friday, the Lady Rebels will host fifth-ranked Vanderbilt at 4 p.m. at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center and then on Sunday they will face 21st-ranked Kentucky at 1 p.m.
The Lady Rebels will be looking to snap a two-match losing skid after falling to 35th-ranked Baylor 4-2 and 27th-ranked Tulane 6-1. Junior Chloe Carlotti, who entered the singles rankings at No. 96, leads the team with a 6-2 record at the No. 1 position. She also teams with sophomore Virginia Tomatis for a 6-1 record at No. 1 doubles. Senior Florencia Basile suffered her first dual match loss last weekend, but is still 7-1 this season.
"This is a big weekend for us," head coach Mark Beyers said. "Both matches will present a challenge. We've been working hard all week in practice, and we are looking forward to playing back at home. We scheduled the Vanderbilt match at 4 p.m., so our fans would be able to come out and support us and see some great tennis."
Vanderbilt enters the match with a 9-1 overall record, 1-0 in the SEC. They posted a 5-2 win over Arkansas in their first conference match. Vanderbilt has posted six shutout victories this season, including 7-0 wins over No. 4 Duke, No. 31 Virginia and No. 32 Baylor. The Commodores are led by junior Audra Falk, who is ranked No. 28 in the nation. Senior Kelly Schmandt, ranked 54th, and freshman Amanda Fish are both undefeated in dual match play. Vanderbilt boasts two doubles teams in the top 10 with Schmandt and fellow senior Aleke Tsoubanos at No. 2 and Falk and junior Annie Menees at No. 10.
Kentucky, who reached the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" a year ago, comes into the start of conference play with an 8-5 record. They have posted wins over top 20 teams Southern Cal and Texas A&M. The Wildcats are a young team, featuring five freshman and three juniors. They are led by junior Aibika Kalsarieva who is ranked No. 19 in the nation.
