Lady Rebel Netters Defeat Southeastern Louisiana 4-3

OXFORD, Miss. The Ole Miss women’s tennis team, who has battled injuries all season long, held off Southeastern Louisiana 4-3 Thursday at the Gillom Sports Center.  The Lady Rebels, now 4-2 on the year, will host Troy Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Lady Rebels dropped the doubles point for the fifth time this season to go down 1-0 early.  Ole Miss’ Ilona Somers and Kseniia Tokarieva won for the second match in a row at the top spot, but Southeastern Louisiana claimed the other two positions.  But, like against Middle Tennessee and Arkansas-Little Rock, the team battled back in singles.

Somers evened the match with her straight set (6-3, 6-2) win over Lady Lion, Emilija Arnaudovska at No. 1 singles.   With the win, Somers improved to 5-0 at No. 1 singles.  The senior All-SEC honoree is a combined 8-2 in singles and doubles this season.

Ole Miss went ahead 2-1when Tokarieva closed out her opponent, Iva Velkovska, 7-6(3), 6-4 at No. 2 singles.   Freshman Soledad Podlipnik downed Jana Simurkova 6-4, 6-1 at No. 4 singles to add to the lead (3-1).   She is now 5-1 on the season.

Junior Nika Koukhartchouk won a first set tiebreaker 7-6(3) against Lady Lion Breda Kovac at No. 3 singles.  She led 5-0 in the second set, but Kovac won seven straight games to take the set.  Struggling with her serve all day, Koukhartchouk finally held at 6-5 to clinch the match and the victory for Ole Miss.

“This was a good team we played,” head coach Mark Beyers said.  “We are excited to get through these matches, while not being at full strength.  .  It makes it tougher when we are not at full strength.  We are proud of the team for battling back after losing the doubles point.  We won two first set tiebreakers and a close three-setter.  We needed that.  This was similar to the Middle Tennessee match.  We just raised our intensity level.  We don’t want to lose.”

Once the match was clinched, Carlin Cochran retired after splitting sets with Bonnie Phillips at No. 5 singles.  Southeastern Louisiana’s other point came at No. 6 singles, where Nina Knavs defeated Emily Ladyman 6-4, 6-1.  Ladyman, who was a freshman on the team in 2004, re-joined the Lady Rebels last week.

#50 OLE MISS  4

Southeastern Louisiana  3                                                                                                

 

DOUBLES

#1 Somers/Tokarieva (OM) def. Knavs/Kovac (SELA) 8-4

#2 Arnaudovska/Velkovska (SELA) def. Koukhartchouk/Podlipnik (OM) 8-4

#3 Coric/Simurkova (SELA) def. Cochran/Ladyman (OM) 8-4

SINGLES

#1 Ilona Somers (OM) def. Emilija Arnaudovska (SELA) 6-3, 6-2

#2 Kseniia Tokarieva (OM) def. Iva Velkovska (SELA) 7-6(3), 6-4

#3 Nika Koukhartchouk (OM) def. Breda Kovac (SELA) 7-6(3), 5-7, 7-5

#4 Soledad Podlipnik (OM) def. Jana Simurkova (SELA) 6-4, 6-1

#5 Bonnie Phillips (SELA) def. Carlin Cochran (OM) 6-4, 2-6, ret.

#6 Emily Ladyman (OM) def. Nina Knavs (SELA) 6-4, 6-1

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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