The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Ready for USTA/ITA Regionals
10/9/2014 | Women's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - A berth in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships will be on the line this weekend as the Ole Miss Women's Tennis team travels to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to compete in the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships.
WHO WILL BE THERE? …
The tournament features 18 teams from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, including SEC schools, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Play begins Friday morning at 9 a.m. with doubles.
WHAT'S AT STAKE? …
The winner of the singles and doubles titles will earn a berth in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships to be held Nov. 6-9 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
REBEL PARTICIPANTS …
The Rebels will send a strong contingent to the regionals led by senior Julia Jones, who will be competing for the first time this fall. She is ranked No. 72 in the ITA preseason rankings. Joining her in the field will be fellow seniors Erin Stephens and Iris Verboven as well as juniors Mai El Kamash, Allie Robbins and Marija Milutinovic, sophomore Zalina Khairudinova and freshman Arianne Hartono. Freshman Natalie Suk will be the only Rebel not competing, as she wrapped up play in the USTA Rock Hill Rocks Open Thursday with a three-set loss in the second round.
SUCCESS AT SOUTHERN REGIONALS …
The Southern Regional has been a successful event for the Rebels the last few years. Former All-American and current volunteer assistant, Kristi Boxx, took home the 2011 singles title and teamed with former All-American Karen Nijssen to win the 2009 doubles title. The Rebels also had success in 2010, with former two-time All-SEC honoree Connor Vogel reaching the singles final and Boxx and Abby Guthrie reaching the doubles final. Caroline Rohde-Moe was the runner-up in 2012 and earned an at-large bid to the National Indoor Championships.
QUOTING HEAD COACH Mark Beyers …
"As the Southern Region has continued to get stronger and stronger, this tournament has become one of the toughest on our fall schedule. I do feel with the depth we have on our team there are quite a few of our players who have a chance to advance far in this tournament, and possibly win a berth into the national indoors in New York in a few weeks."
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissWTennis and on Facebook at OleMissWTennis.
Players Mentioned
