The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis To Host Tennessee Tech Saturday
2/3/2005 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 3, 2005
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss men's tennis team remained at No. 6 in this week's national rankings, as they get set to host Tennessee Tech Saturday at Noon at the Gillom Sports Center, prior to the men's basketball game against Arkansas.
Ole Miss, defending SEC Champions, opened the 2005 campaign with a bang, posting a 7-0 shut out over the University of New Orleans last Friday. The Rebels used a lineup consisting of three freshmen, and blew away the Privateers from the outset. Senior Catalin Gard, the nation's No. 1 ranked player, won his 60th career dual match.
"We had a nice crowd for our first match," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "We would like to encourage the fans to come out and watch us play before the basketball game. We have an exciting young team, who is a lot of fun to coach."
Tennessee Tech, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, comes into the match with an 0-2 record. They lost back-to-back matches last weekend to Troy (6-1) and 45th-ranked South Alabama (6-1). The Golden Eagles are a young squad that feature two juniors and six freshmen. Tennessee Tech advanced to the NCAA Team Championships for the second year in a row in 2004 after winning their second consecutive OVC Championship. The Golden Eagles are led by junior Michele Panzeri, who is the lone returnee on the squad.
The Rebels defeated the Golden Eagles 5-2 last year in Oxford. After Tennessee Tech won the doubles point, Ole Miss won five of the six singles in straight sets for the victory.
Ole Miss is a tough assignment for opponents in Oxford. The Rebels have won 95 of their last 105 matches at home. The Rebels posted a perfect 12-0 regular season record at home in 2004 and have now won 15 straight regular season home matches dating back to April 6, 2003.
Saturday's match will mark the final tuneup for the Rebels before they battle arch-rival Mississippi State in the annual Mississippi Cup, which takes place Feb. 10 at the River Hills Club in Jackson. Tickets are on sale, and can be purchased by calling (601) 987-4438.
