The University of Mississippi Athletics
Defending The West
10/18/2005 | Women's Tennis
Oct. 18, 2005
By Kim Ling
Associate Director, Athletics Media Relations
You know the old saying, "Where you start is not as important as where you finish." When fifth-year head coach Mark Beyers took over the Ole Miss women's tennis program prior to the start of the 2002 season, he spoke of getting the program back to the national prominence it enjoyed in the nineties. Four years later, one can safely say the future looks very bright.
Beyers said before the start of last season, "We have a lot of new players, and normally that would mean this year would be a rebuilding year. However, we have been able to add some players who will not only contribute immediately, but will make us a significantly stronger team."
That statement became prophetic. With three freshmen and a sophomore in the lineup, the Lady Rebels captured the SEC Western Division Championship for the first time ever. In addition, the team made its 11th NCAA Championship appearance. Chloe Carlotti became the seventh All-American in the history of the program and joined an elite group of Division I players to earn that distinction at multiple schools.
The SEC is regarded as the nation's toughest conference and 2005 proved no different. Six teams began the year ranked among the top 25 and six ended the season among the top 25 with four in the top 10. In addition, the SEC led all conferences with 10 teams in the NCAA Championships.
With a young squad, one might not have been surprised if the Lady Rebels struggled in the face of such a daunting task each week of playing so many top 25 teams. They answered the task. The Lady Rebels posted five victories in conference play last year, and were just a few points from finishing 8-3. In three of their conference losses, the Lady Rebels lost by a narrow 4-3 margin, including a 4-3 defeat to Kentucky, who finished the year ranked No. 4 in the nation and reached the NCAA Final Four.
Obviously every team wants to win the national championship. But, for the Lady Rebels, one of their first goals is always to win the SEC Western Division.
It was not until 2002 that the SEC split into divisions for the sport of tennis.
If the league had handed out divisional trophies before 2002, the Lady Rebels would have several trophy cases full. Since 1990, the Lady Rebels boast a 74-8 record against the Western Division, including 16-0 against their arch-rival, Mississippi State.
After coming close the previous three years, the Lady Rebels put themselves in a position to win the West in 2005 by defeating Alabama and Auburn at home earlier in the season and then going on the road and posting wins over LSU and Arkansas late in the schedule.
If it had to come down to one match for the SEC West title, the Lady Rebels were happy it was at home and against a team who they had dominated since 1990. What more could you want than to be playing your arch-rival Mississippi State on Senior Day for a championship. The Lady Rebels came out strong in doubles against State, sweeping all three matches to take a 1-0 lead. They never looked back on their way to a decisive 6-1 win, clinching their first ever SEC Western Division Championship.
"Winning the SEC West title was very exciting, especially the way we did it," Beyers said. "Playing Mississippi State is special anyway, but playing for the title made it even more special. We fought through a lot of close losses last year. The team worked hard all season and it was great to see all the hard work pay off."
Gold Medal winning softball player Dot Richardson said, "Individual glory is insignificant when compared to achieving victory as a team." While the Lady Rebels boasted an All-American at the top of their lineup in Carlotti, it took a total team effort to win the SEC West.
Virginia Tomatis, who is in her final campaign with the Lady Rebels, had her best season to date in 2005, going 14-9 in dual matches. She also teamed with Carlotti to earn All-SEC honors for the second year in a row with an 8-3 league record at No. 1 doubles.
"It was very exciting to win the West last year," Tomatis said. "It was our last match, and we were playing Mississippi State. They had the best team they've had since I've been here. Being able to play well and beat them like we did was very special for me."
As noted earlier, Beyers expected his newcomers to contribute immediately, and they did. Ilona Somers, who transferred from Tulsa, played No. 2 and 3 singles and finished with a 15-7 record. She is already off to a solid start this fall having captured the Ole Miss Fall Classic in singles and in doubles with Tomatis. Somers says winning the SEC West last year was huge, and the team wants more this year.
"It meant a lot to win the SEC West in my first year," Somers says. "The work we did in practice finally paid off. Winning the West last year has really motivated us to work as hard as we did last year and harder. We want to win the West again this year and compete for the overall championship as well. It was exciting for us to get rings and I would like to get two more before I leave.
"With Chloe last year, we had a strong team. I think overall we have a stronger team this year. The positions are so much stronger up and down the lineup. The young girls have a lot of potential. They will help us a lot this year and for years to come."
Beyers also got major contributions from his freshmen in 2005. Nika Koukhartchouk had a solid debut, going 14-7, including 8-3 in the SEC while playing No. 2 and 3 singles. Mimi Renaudin and Preethi Subramanian, who came on board in January of 2005, combined to go 23-13 at five and six singles.
Replacing an All-American in the lineup is never easy. But, the Lady Rebels return the rest of their championship lineup and have added freshmen Ksenia Tokarieva and Merry Ellen Henry, who are expected to contribute this year. Tokarieva won her first career collegiate title in her debut, taking home the Blue Draw at the Ole Miss Fall Classic.
Last year, the team just missed advancing to the second round of the NCAA Championships. This year, Tomatis is hoping the team can advance to the round of 16 in her final campaign.
"We have a really good team this year," Tomatis said. "I would like for us to make it to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Of course we want to win the SEC West again, but hopefully we can also challenge for the overall championship."
With five of the top six from last year's lineup back, as well as some top recruits in the mix, the Lady Rebels are looking forward to the 2006 season. Who knows yet how it will begin, but if everything falls into place, they better make room for some more hardware.
