.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Twice the Action for Ole Miss Women's Tennis
9/11/2014 | Women's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss Women's Tennis team will kick off its season with an unusual start this weekend, as the team has one tournament in North Carolina and one in Arkansas. Half of the team will travel to play in the Duke Fab Four in Cary, North Carolina while the other half will be competing in the Country Club of Little Rock Invitational in Little Rock, Arkansas.
"This is a great opportunity to send some different people to different tournaments, but the main thing is to get a lot of good matches in," said Mark Beyers, in his 17th year as the head coach. "At this time of the year, we've just got to work on that 'match toughness.'"
The team is led by senior Julia Jones, who is ranked No. 72 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Rankings. Jones will be aided by fellow seniors Erin Stephens and Iris Verboven. Coach Beyers is well aware of the importance of having multiple seniors to lead his team.
"The three seniors have provided us with a lot of wins over the years, so we're going to rely on them heavily this year," he said.
The Rebels also opened last season at the same Duke Fab Four tournament and will face some very good competition again this year.
Sophomore Zalina Khairudinova and Verboven each drew tough matchups in the Duke Fab Four, from the University of Florida, facing Brooke Austin and Peggy Porter, respectively. Austin and Porter are the first and fourth ranked newcomers in women's tennis according to the ITA. Stephens will face Marie Faure of Virginia in the first round. Making her debut for the Rebels, freshman Natalie Suk will go up against 12th-ranked Ester Goldfeld of Duke.
Luckily for the Rebels, Alabama, Arkansas and Oklahoma State are three of their opponents this weekend, allowing them to get a good look at teams they will face down the road this season.
Heading to the Country Club of Little Rock Invitational are juniors Mai El Kamash, Marija Milutinovic and Allie Robbins and freshman Arianne Hartono.
"The freshmen will add some very valuable depth," said Beyers of Suk and Hartono. "We'll see if one of them is ready to step up and take one of the top spots in the lineup."
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWTennis and on Facebook at OleMissWTennis.
Players Mentioned
