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The University of Mississippi Athletics
No. 22 Rebel Netters To Host Memphis
2/27/2012 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 27, 2012
OXFORD, Miss. - The No. 22 nationally ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team has been looking forward to Tuesday's match against Memphis for awhile, as they get to play their first outdoor match of the season at the newly renovated Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center/Galtney Courts. The Rebels and Tigers, who are ranked No. 33 in the nation, will square off at 2 p.m.
"We're really excited to showcase the newly renovated tennis center to our fans. The guys have been looking forward to this match. This will be a very tough match, and we need the fans to come out and help us win it," head coach Billy Chadwick said.
Memphis (7-0) is off to its best start since the 1979 season, and the Tigers' No. 33 ranking is the highest in their recorded history. Included in their start, are wins against SEC teams Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
"Memphis has the best team that they have had in more than 30 years. As noted, they've already defeated two SEC opponents, so it's going to be a tough match," Chadwick said. "This is the type of match we need to prepare us for the opening weekend of Southeastern Conference play."
The Rebels (2-2) have not played a dual match since the Mississippi Cup, but they did recently have success at the Brownsville Futures in Texas. Three players participated in the main draw, and junior Jonas Lutjen downed the former world No. 1 junior in straight sets to advance to the second round.
"We played well across the board, but Jonas played exceptional," Chadwick said. "He created some waves worldwide when he beat the guy who was ranked No. 1 last year in the world in 18s. He's ranked 500 in the ATP right now, so he's a rising star. That was a big-time win for Jonas.
"We had three players qualify for the main draw, which is phenomenal. It was exactly what we were looking for."
The Memphis match kicks off a four-match homestand for the Rebels, who open SEC play March 2/4 hosting Auburn and Alabama. Admission to all home matches is free.
Follow the Rebels on twitter at @OleMissMTennis and on facebook at www.facebook.com/OleMissMTennis.
