The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Netters To Face Division II Defending National Champion
3/16/2005 | Men's Tennis
March 16, 2005
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss men's tennis team, ranked No. 6 in the nation this week, will face NCAA Division II defending national champion, West Florida, Friday in Pensacola, Fla. First serve is 2 p.m.
Ole Miss (12-1, 4-0 SEC) is coming off consecutive wins on the road in the SEC. The Rebels defeated Alabama 5-2 in Tuscaloosa and then downed Auburn 6-1 at Auburn. Currently the Rebels are tied with Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Mississippi State atop the league at 4-0.
Rebel senior Catalin Gard, ranked No. 3 in the nation, needs four wins to become the third Rebel to record 100 career victories. Gard currently boasts a 96-25 (.793 winning percentage) overall record, 70-13 (.843 winning percentage) in dual matches. Gard holds an impressive 29-7 record (.806 winning percentage) in SEC matches.
West Florida, the defending Division II NCAA Champion, comes into the match with an 11-1 record. They are ranked No. 1 in Division II. The Argonauts are coming off a 9-0 win over North Alabama last Saturday. Their match against Berry College scheduled for Tuesday was rained out. Freshman Diego Zori leads the Argonauts and is ranked No. 4 in singles in Division II with an 8-0 record.
The two teams last met in 2001 with Ole Miss winning 4-0. In that match, Ole Miss swept the doubles in convincing fashion and then never let up from there, claiming straight-set victories at the Nos. 2, 4 and 6 spots for the win.
Following the West Florida match, the Rebels will return home to host Troy University March 23 at 2 p.m.
