The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Head to USTA/ITA Regional Championships
10/15/2015 | Women's Tennis
Tournament Draws
OXFORD, Miss. â€" 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 Auburn, 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. There will be an A Draw and a B Draw in both singles and doubles. Play begins Friday morning at 8 a.m. with first-round doubles, followed by the first round of singles.
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. 12-15 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Rebel Participants …
The Rebels will have eight competing in singles and four teams in doubles. Sophomore Arianne Hartono, ranked No. 44, leads the Rebel contingent. She owns a 3-2 record. Hartono will be joined by seniors Mai El Kamash and Allie Robbins, junior Zalina Khairudinova, sophomore Natalie Suk and freshmen Tea Jandric, Allie Sanford and Brooke Stevens. Khairudinova and Sanford will team up in doubles with a 5-0 record.
Success at Southern Regionals …
The Southern Regional has been a successful event for the Rebels the last few years. Recent All-American Julia Jones took home the title in 2014, defeating four nationally-ranked players along the way. Former All-American and current volunteer assistant, Kristi Boxx, won 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 …
"Julia won the singles last year, and that really kick started her year. It's an opportunity to pick up quality wins and qualify for the National Indoor and have a chance to earn more wins up in New York. It's a great tournament with a lot of great players from the SEC and some mid-majors who have great players as well. Someone has a chance to get one step closer to qualifying for the NCAA Tournament as well.
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWTennis, on Facebook at OleMissWTennis and on Instagram at OleMissWTennis. Also follow Coach Beyers on Twitter, @MarkBeyers.
Players Mentioned
