The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Ole Miss Fall Classic
Lady Rebel Netter Claims Ole Miss Fall Classic Title
9/26/2004 | Women's Tennis
Sept. 26, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - Sophomore Claire Conerly of the Ole Miss women's tennis team, captured the Red Draw singles title at the Ole Miss Fall Classic Sunday afternoon at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
Conerly defeated Judith Diaz of Kansas State, 7-5, 6-3 in the final to win her first career tournament title. In the first round, Conerly downed K-State's Aveen Alkhatib, 6-1, 6-0 and then in the second round, she came back to beat Kay Ngiam of Tennessee Tech, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4.
"I am very excited to win the title," Conerly said, moments after her win. "I just tried to play as consistent as possible throughout the match and concentrate on every ball. It was good to get the first set. That gave me confidence for the second set."
"We are excited for Claire to win this tournament," head coach Mark Beyers said. She would not have won this draw last year. She has made tremendous improvement in her game during the last 12 months."
In the top draw (Blue), Ole Miss freshman Nika Koukhartchouk battled Georgia's No. 1 player, Shadisha Robinson, who is ranked No. 23 in the nation, for the title. Robinson, won the first set 6-2 and held a 5-0 lead in the second, but Koukhartchouk wouldn't go away easily. She won the next two games, before Robinson closed it out.
Koukhartchouk had a successful collegiate debut, beating three ranked opponents in a row to get to the final. On Friday, Koukhartchouk defeated Centenary's Anja Schmidt (No. 75) and K-State's Maria Rosenberg (No. 105) and then in the semifinals, she beat Georgia's Natalie Frazier (No. 61). The Lady Rebel freshman impressed her coaches and the fans this weekend in her first collegiate tournament.
"Shadisha is obviously one of the best players in the country," Beyers said. "This was a great match for Nika to see where she is compared to the great players in college tennis. Now she knows what she has to work on to get where Shadisha is. This was a tremendous first college tournament for Nika and we see her having a bright future here."
The Lady Rebels overall, had a successful tournament with a solid field of competition and look to build on this Beyers said.
"The biggest thing for us was that our freshmen got to play some matches and we as coaches, got a chance to see where we are early in the season. It gave us an opportunity to evaluate the newcomers and see what we need to work on to get better. The freshmen all gained valuable experience, and we are pleased with how they performed for their first college tournament."
Several members of the team will travel to Los Angeles next weekend to begin competing in the pre-qualifying tournament for the prestigious Riviera All-American Championships.
SINGLES
Blue Draw Final
Shadisha Robinson (UGA) def. Nika Koukhartchouk (OM) 6-2, 6-2
White Draw Final
Tamar Kvaratshkhelia (KSU) def. Margot Carter (TTU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
Red Draw Final
Claire Conerly (OM) def. Judith Diaz (KSU) 7-5, 6-3
