The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Netter Gard Begins Quest For National Championship
5/24/2005 | Men's Tennis
May 24, 2005
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Ole Miss men's tennis senior Catalin Gard will begin his quest for a national championship Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., as the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Singles Championship to be played at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
Gard, ranked No. 4 in the nation, will face 44th-ranked Alex Slovic of Washington in the first round.
The 2004 SEC Player of the Year, Gard enters the singles tournament with a 33-6 overall record for the year. He finished 24-4 at No. 1 singles and led the Rebels to the overall SEC Championship for the second consecutive year and their fourth straight SEC West title.
Earlier this week, Gard helped lead the Rebels to the NCAA Final Four for the fourth time in school history. Ole Miss defeated the 14th seed, Texas Tech, in the Sweet Sixteen and then knocked off sixth-seeded Georgia in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. The Rebels came close, but fell just short of reaching the championship match, falling 4-2 to UCLA.
Gard is making his third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Singles field and is considered one of the favorites to win the title. He and sophomore Eric Claesson were selected to the doubles draw, but withdrew Tuesday.
"Eric was not 100 percent, so we felt like it would be better to give another team the opportunity to play," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "Cat has put the sting of the semifinal match behind him, and is focusing on winning a national championship. He's had a great career and wants to go out on top."
