The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Netters No. 6 In Latest National Rankings
4/6/2004 | Men's Tennis
April 6, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss men's tennis team fell three spots to No. 6 in the nation in this week's ITA National Rankings after losing back-to-back matches last weekend to South Carolina and Florida.
The Rebels, who dropped their first match since Feb. 7, when they lost 4-1 to South Carolina last Friday, are now 16-3 and 7-2 in the SEC. They lead LSU by one match in the SEC West and are in a tie for first place with Georgia in the overall standings. The Rebels defeated both LSU and Georgia.
Illinois remained atop the poll followed by Baylor, Southern California, UCLA and Duke. Ole Miss, VCU, Florida, Georgia and Stanford round out the top 10. The SEC leads the nation with eight teams ranked in the top 25 and three in the top 10.
In the individual rankings, junior All-American Catalin Gard stayed at No. 4 with a 16-3 record at No. 1 singles. He is 8-1 in the SEC and has won 12 of his last 13 matches. Senior Claes Lindholm moved up to No. 26 with a 16-2 record. The Rebs' other senior, Paul Ciorascu, is ranked No. 85.
In doubles, Gard and Ciorascu moved up a spot to No. 7 in the nation with a 12-5 record. They will be looking to snap a two match losing streak.
The Rebels will host arch-rival Mississippi State Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
