The University of Mississippi Athletics
Lady Rebel Netters Back In NCAA Championships
5/4/2005 | Women's Tennis
May 4, 2005
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss women's tennis team, who captured their first ever SEC Western Division Championship in 2005, didn't have to wait long to find out they will continue their season, as the field of 64 for the NCAA Team Championships was revealed on ESPNews Wednesday. The Lady Rebels will travel to Miami, Fla., for the first and second rounds May 13-14.
Ole Miss (13-9), back in the NCAA Championships for the first time since the 2002 season, will face California (Pac-10 Conference) in the first round. The other half of the regional includes the host, Miami, (ACC) facing Florida Atlantic of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The winner of the regional will advance to Athens, Ga., for the "Sweet Sixteen" May 20-23.
"When you are sitting there watching, you start thinking about the last two years and thinking `surely it's not going to happen again,'" head coach Mark Beyers said. "Thank goodness we didn't have to wait long. We saw our name come up in the second quarter of the draw. The girls are very deserving of this. They won the SEC West in a conference that got 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament. That shows you what we have to go through during the regular season and how hard it is to win any match in this league.
"Chloe (Carlotti) played them every year when she was at Fresno State. Cal has always been a solid team. They are experienced. Coach (Jan) Brogan does a good job every year. The Pac-10 is probably the second best conference in the nation. The thing that maybe hurts them a little is that they have to come all the way out to Miami from Berkeley. This is one of those times when you hope it is 90 degrees and humid in Miami."
The Lady Rebels are led by Carlotti, who is making her third trip to the NCAA Team Championships. She went with the Fresno State team in 2002 and 2003, before transferring to Ole Miss. Carlotti, ranked No. 38 in singles owns a 15-7 record at No. 1 singles and teams with junior Virginia Tomatis for a 17-5 record at No. 1 doubles and a No. 17 ranking.
"We are very excited to be in the NCAA Championships," Carlotti said. "We kind of expected that we would make it, we just didn't know who we would play. Obviously it's a tough first round, but at the same time, it will be some new teams that we haven't faced.
"I played them (Cal) a couple of times when I was at Fresno State. They have a lot of new players and they have a great coach. They are usually pretty good in doubles, so we will have to be much tougher there. They are not the same team that I played at Fresno, but they will still be very tough because they didn't qualify for nationals last year. It's a good draw."
Ole Miss is making its 11th overall appearance in the NCAA Championships. The Lady Rebels have reached the "Sweet Sixteen" seven times.
The SEC led all conferences with 10 teams making the field of 64. Next was the Atlantic Coast Conference with eight, followed by the Pac-10 with seven and the Big Ten with five.
