The University of Mississippi Athletics
Making Plans
11/8/2006 | Women's Tennis
By Kim Ling
Associate Director, Athletics Media Relations
When you come to a new place, especially an entire continent away, it's nice to have a familiar face and someone to communicate with who understands what it's like. For senior Lady Rebel netter Ilona Somers she had plenty of teammates who could identify with what she was going through four years ago, but she also had the head coach to turn to.
Somers hails from Putte, Holland, and Ole Miss women's tennis head coach Mark Beyers is from Holland as well. That made the transition easier for Somers, who says she didn't know much about college tennis or anything about Oxford.
"He (Coach Beyers) took a visit to Holland and saw me play," Somers said. We talked about college tennis and what it's like here. I took a visit here and I liked it. It's small and it's easier to know everybody. That's a big reason why I came here."
Her journey to Oxford took a slight detour. She first attended Tulsa University for a year, before transferring to Ole Miss in the fall of 2004. At Tulsa, Somers was one of the top rookies in the nation and earned All-WAC second team honors.
Somers made an immediate impact with the Lady Rebels, going 15-7 at No. 2 singles in helping them win the program's first ever SEC Western Division Championship in 2005 and advance to the NCAA Championships for the 11th time.
Ranked No. 12 in the ITF junior doubles rankings, Somers teamed with Mimi Renaudin that year for a 14-8 record at No. 2 doubles, 7-4 in the SEC. The duo went undefeated against the West in helping the Lady Rebels claim the doubles point in all five of those matches.
One year later in 2006, Somers was one of only two upperclassmen on the squad. She finished with a 20-10 overall record and earned All-SEC second team honors in the nation's toughest league. She teamed with two-time All-SEC Virginia Tomatis for a 21-12 overall record.
Somers began this year with her third doubles partner in three years, standout freshman Elizabeth Woods, a native of Spring, Texas. The two excelled right away, claiming the Ole Miss Fall Classic title in their first tournament together. Somers talked about her game and how they complement each other well, a must to be successful in doubles.
"She (Wood) plays very aggressive, which is good. It gives me the opportunity to cross over a lot and to use her serve and strokes. I am really happy that she's my doubles partner, and hopefully we'll win a lot of matches. We are still working on our communication on the court and helping her to use my game to her advantage. She has three more years, and I think she will be a very good player."
Her first year at Ole Miss, Somers tasted success both individually and as a team. With five of the top six in the lineup returning hopes were high in 2006 for an encore performance. Even though the Lady Rebels finished 4-7 in the SEC, they came so close to going 8-3 in the conference. Four of their seven SEC losses were by a 4-3 score. They dropped 4-3 matches to South Carolina, Alabama, Vanderbilt and Arkansas.
"It's tough playing in this league," Somers said. "We play good teams every time out. The level of tennis is very high. You have to compete every time at the highest level or you'll get beat. There's no easy match. "It's a good learning experience for life, because you can't just go on the court and hit the ball. You have to have a plan."
Speaking of a plan, Somers has one for the next phase of her life once she finishes her degree in Exercise Science.
"Including this semester, I have three semesters left and then an internship. I'll finish school next fall, and then I have to do an internship somewhere, maybe in Belgium, Holland or here. I will see."
Somers says she enjoys this level of tennis, and can see herself someday coaching at a University.
"I definitely want to apply for an assistant coaching job at a university, so I can still play tennis and be involved in coaching at a high level," Somers said. "The other option would be to go back home and continue playing tournaments in Belgium, Holland, France or Germany."
For now though, Somers is content to try and help her team achieve the success they enjoyed in her first season and leave here a champion again.
"As a team, we would like to get another ring, which means we would win the SEC West, and of course make the NCAA Championships," Somers said. "Individually, I want to try and earn a spot in the top 40 of the national rankings, possibly higher. To do that I need to beat some players who are ranked high."
While working hard on the court to improve her game, Somers has achieved a high level of success in the classroom. She was one of six Lady Rebels last year to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete honors and also made the SEC Academic Honor Roll. A regular on the University Honor Roll, Somers is a member of the Rebel 3.0 Club.
With tennis and her studies, Somers has little time for a social life, but she notes that since her time is coming to an end, she will find room for a little fun.
"I am really focused," Somers said. "I'm the type of person that if I've been given an assignment, I want to finish that first, and then enjoy myself. So, if I have a test coming up on Monday I prefer to spend 70 to 80 percent of the weekend studying and then maybe catch a movie in the evening. Now that my time here is almost over, I am going to try and mix in some more leisure time."
The fall season is winding down with this weekend's SEC Coaches Classic. Soon the Lady Rebels will be preparing for the start of the 2007 dual match season. Who knows what will happen in the spring. Perhaps the ball will bounce Ole Miss' way and Somers can leave here a champion again.
