The University of Mississippi Athletics
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11/5/2014 | Women's Tennis
Tournament Central | Live Chat | Singles Draw
OXFORD, Miss. - Senior Julia Jones and Ole Miss Women's Tennis head coach Mark Beyers touched down in the Big Apple Tuesday night in advance of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships, which begin Thursday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Jones makes her debut in the prestigious event as the winner of the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships last month. She will face Virginia's Stephanie Nauta in the first round Thursday at 1:45 p.m. CT.
JONES' PATH TO NEW YORK …
• Jones, competing for the first time since the NCAA Team Championships, captured the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships in a thrilling three-set match against the top seed to book her ticket to the New York.
• Jones, who earned a preseason ranking of No. 72 in the nation after an All-SEC campaign last year, rallied to top Auburn's Pleun Burgmans, ranked No. 36, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(4).
• On her way to the title, Jones (8-1) defeated the Nos. 42, 61 and 36 ranked players in the nation.
THE OPPONENT …
• In the first round of the USTA/ITA National Indoor, Jones will face Virginia junior Stephanie Nauta. Nauta won the Atlantic Regional singles title and is ranked No. 32 in the nation. She earned All-ACC second team honors last year and went 33-8.
GREAT START TO FALL …
• Following up on her regional title, Jones went 2-1 at the Ole Miss Invitational, including a win over No. 6 ranked Lauren Herring of Georgia, who is also in the field this weekend.
• Jones owns an 8-1 record this fall with four ranked wins, all against players ranked above her in the preseason rankings. Dating back to last year, Jones has won 11 of her last 13 matches.
HEAD COACH Mark Beyers ON JONES …
"It's exciting for Julia to be part of arguably the strongest tournament field in college tennis this year. Basically these are the top 32 players in the country battling for a national title. We've had a great couple of weeks of practice indoors and I know Julia is ready to take on this field."
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWTennis and on Facebook at OleMissWTennis.
