The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis To Begin Defense Of SEC Championship
2/28/2006 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 28, 2006
OXFORD, Miss. - The No. 5 nationally ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team will begin defense of its SEC Championship this weekend as they travel to face No. 7 Florida and South Carolina. In their final tune-up before SEC play, the Rebels will play at North Florida Thursday at 2 p.m.
"This is going to be a tough weekend for us," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "Not only are we opening up SEC play on the road, but we have to face two teams who we beat just two weeks ago. The guys know that this is an important road trip, and we are looking forward to beginning conference play on a winning note."
Ole Miss begins its three-match road trip at North Florida. A former member of Division II, UNF moved up to Division I in the fall of 2005. The Ospreys were the Division II national runner-up in 2005. They are led by senior Jose Terrera, who went 17-7 last year.
On Friday, the Rebels will face Florida for the second time in two weeks, when the 2005 SEC regular season co-champions square off at 2 p.m. CT. The two teams met in consolation at the National Team Indoor with Ole Miss taking a 4-2 win. It marked the second year in a row for the two to face each other at the National Team Indoor, as Ole Miss beat Florida 4-1 in last year's quarterfinals. The Gators (6-2) have been off since the National Team Indoor.
Ole Miss has won three in a row against Florida. The Rebels defeated the Gators twice last year, including 5-2 in Oxford in the regular season meeting. The last time the two teams met in Gainesville (2004), the Gators came away with a 4-3 win.
Following their match against Florida, the Rebels will head to South Carolina for a re-match with the Gamecocks Sunday at Noon CT. Ole Miss defeated USC 4-1 in the first round of the National Team Indoor two weeks ago. South Carolina is 6-5 and faces Wake Forest before opening conference play at home with Mississippi State on Friday. USC has been plagued by injuries and hasn't been able to start their full top six since Feb. 4 against Appalachian State. Geraldo Knorr has been the catalyst for Carolina's success so far this season, with a 15-6 singles record.
The Florida and South Carolina matches will feature live scoring. To follow the Rebels go to www.olemisssports.com and click on the live stats link.
