The University of Mississippi Athletics
No. 4 Ohio State Up Next For Rebel Netters
2/3/2011 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 3, 2011
OXFORD, Miss. - One of the Ole Miss men's tennis team's goals this season is to climb back into the top 10 in the national rankings. The No. 18 ranked Rebels will get an opportunity to do that when they travel to play No. 4 Ohio State Friday at 4 p.m. CT at the Varsity Indoor Tennis Center.
The Rebels (2-1) are already accustomed to playing in a tough environment this year, as they were on the road for the ITA Kick-Off last weekend, where they defeated No. 35 Tulsa 4-3 before losing a close 4-2 decision to host and No. 13 Louisville.
Ohio State moved to 5-0 on the year with three wins this past weekend. As hosts of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, the Buckeyes defeated No. 75 William & Mary, 7-0, in the first round before handing No. 56 UC Irvine a 7-0 loss in the qualifying final. The Buckeyes also downed Toledo 6-0.
The Buckeyes have won a school-record 115 consecutive home matches dating back to the 2002-03 season.
"They're one of the top teams in the nation. They are very tough to play at home, as evidenced by their record, so it's going to be a big challenge," head coach Billy Chadwick said.
Senior Kalle Norberg returned to the singles lineup for the first time since 2009 last weekend and beat 98th-ranked Simon Childs of Louisville in straight sets for his 60th career dual match win. He is 21-1 since the 2009 season in dual matches and 60-6 for his career.
The series between the two schools is tied at 2, with Ohio State winning last year in Oxford 4-2.
Live scoring for the match will be available by going to www.OleMissSports.com and clicking on the link in the calendar.
