The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis Ends Year At No. 3 In Nation
5/26/2005 | Men's Tennis
May 26, 2005
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Ole Miss men's tennis team finished the year ranked No. 3 in the nation, marking the sixth top five finish for the Rebels in the last 10 years, as the final ITA National Team Rankings were released Thursday.
The 2005 SEC Champion Rebels just completed an outstanding year in the NCAA Final Four. Ole Miss defeated 14th-seeded Texas Tech and sixth-seeded Georgia before falling in a hard-fought match to eventual National Champion UCLA, 4-2, in the semifinals.
In one of the strongest years for the SEC, the Rebels captured the overall SEC Championship (10-1) for the second consecutive season. In the final national team rankings, the SEC placed seven teams in the top 16. Joining the Rebels in the top 16 are Florida (No. 4) and Georgia (No. 7), LSU (No. 10), Tennessee (No. 11), Kentucky (No. 15) and South Carolina (No. 16).
The Rebels tied the 1997 team for most wins in a season with a 25-4 record. In addition to winning the overall SEC crown, the team went undefeated against the Western Division for the fourth year in a row to claim their fourth straight division title.
Ole Miss has become one of the toughest places to play for opponents, as the Rebels went undefeated (13-0) in 2005 and finished the regular season winning their 25th straight home match, dating back to April 6, 2003.
"This was a total team effort led by our seniors Catalin Gard, Karim Alayli and David Donaldson," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "Repeating as SEC Champions and reaching the NCAA Final Four are outstanding accomplishments, and I know all of our fans are very very proud of this team."
The Rebels have established a tradition as one of the top teams in the country year in and year out. Under Chadwick, the Rebels have made 12 consecutive NCAA appearances, and have reached the NCAA Finals (1995), as well as making the Final Four four times.
