The University of Mississippi Athletics
Kick Off Spring Break With Ole Miss Men's Tennis
3/10/2010 | Men's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - Catch the Ole Miss men's tennis team in action this weekend before you head out for spring break, as the No. 13 nationally ranked Rebels host Arkansas and LSU.
On Friday, the Rebels will welcome Arkansas to the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center at 2 p.m. Fans will enjoy free hot dogs. On Sunday, Ole Miss faces LSU at 1 p.m., with free Bofield's chicken for fans.
The Rebels (9-2, 1-1) are coming off a split on the opening weekend of SEC play. They downed Vanderbilt 6-1 before falling to No. 6 Kentucky 5-2. The loss snapped a 23-match win streak in the SEC that dated back to the 2008 season and included back-to-back SEC Tournament wins and an 11-0 league record and overall SEC Championship last year.
"It was great to win 23 in a row (in SEC). It's unbelievable that we went almost two years without a loss in the SEC, but the guys have always done a good job of taking it one match at a time," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "They know this year that the conference is so even, that if we are not at a 100 percent we don't have a chance at winning against Arkansas or LSU, or for that matter, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The guys have their sights on this weekend, and they'll be ready."
"In the SEC you have to be at your best at every position in all matches. We learned that last weekend (against Kentucky)," said Junior Tucker Vorster.
Arkansas comes into the weekend with an 8-4 overall record, 1-1 in the SEC. They dropped a 7-0 match to Florida and then rallied to defeat South Carolina 4-2 on the opening weekend of SEC play.
Ole Miss has won 21 straight against Arkansas, including a 4-3 win over the Razorbacks in the first round of the ITA National Team Indoor in Oxford back in January.
"The first match with them was very close. It came down to the last match," said sophomore Chris Thiemann. "We have to step it up from our last match. I am confident we will do that."
The Rebels are 73-3 at home since April 6, 2003. The Rebels finished the 2009 season a perfect 9-0 at home and are 4-0 this year.
In the third annual ITA Attendance Race, the Rebels are among the nation's leaders in the first standings, which reflect matches from January and February. The Rebels are ranked fourth in overall attendance with 1,782 fans and second in average attendance at 446.
"We've had such great support with people around town, and then there are plenty of students staying around here (during spring break). We're expecting a really good crowd," Chadwick said. "The guys are really beginning to appreciate the crowds we have. When you go on the road to Vanderbilt and Kentucky, and they have a fourth of what we do, it tells you something."
Admission to both matches this weekend is free.
