The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Netters Hit The Road To Face Top 10 Foes
3/31/2010 | Men's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - One of the toughest stretches of the season for the Ole Miss men's tennis team continues this weekend as they travel to take on top 10 foes Tennessee and Georgia. First up for the Rebels, is No. 2 Tennessee Friday at 2 p.m. CT.
The No. 3 ranked Volunteers come into the match undefeated in SEC play with their lone loss of the season coming from No. 1 Virginia in the ITA team indoor finals.
With only six regular season matches left, the Rebels are hoping to gain some momentum as they come off a tough (4-3) loss to No. 6 Florida.
"We are excited about another opportunity to face two top 10 teams," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "Tennessee is one of the best teams in the nation, and they are very good from top to bottom in the lineup. It will be a difficult assignment for this young team, especially on the road."
Highlighting the match will be the No. 1 contest between Marcel Thiemann and Tennessee's J.P. Smith who is ranked No. 2 in the country in singles and the reigning SEC Player of the Week. Thiemann, who played mostly No. 6 singles last year for the Rebels, is off to a great start this season playing at No. 1 and 2 singles. He is 11-4 in dual matches and 4-2 in the SEC. He owns a 7-1 record at No. 2 and 3-3 at No. 1.
"We were so close to beating Florida, it was disappointing," he said. But, we have another opportunity this weekend against Tennessee and Georgia."
Thiemann also teams up with his brother, Chris, for a 13-3 record at No. 2 doubles, 5-1 in the SEC.
On Sunday, the Rebels will travel to Athens, Ga. to face the No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs at 12 p.m. CT.
The Bulldogs enter the weekend 14-4 overall, and like Tennessee, are undefeated in the SEC.
The Rebels are hoping to avenge an early season (4-3) loss to the Bulldogs when the two teams met in the ITA Team Indoors.
The previous match came down to a hard fought battle between freshman Jonas Lutjen and All American senior Jamie Hunt at No. 3 singles.
Fans can follow both matches this weekend through live scoring by going to www.OleMissSports.com and clicking on the link in the Rebel Hub.
