The University of Mississippi Athletics
No. 22 Rebels Head to SEC Championship
4/15/2015 | Women's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. -- Coming off their 26th straight win against in-state rival Mississippi State, the No. 22 ranked Ole Miss women's tennis team heads to Columbia, South Carolina this weekend for the SEC Championship. The Rebels earned the No. 9 seed and will face the No. 8 seed, Kentucky, in the second Thursday at 8 a.m. CT.
Action will take place at the University of South Carolina Tennis Stadium.
"Just like in the regular season, I fully expect this to be another tight matchup," head coach Mark Beyers said. "Not only, are we close in the SEC tournament seeding, Kentucky and Ole Miss are currently ranked 20 and 22 respectively in the national rankings. We know they have a very good, well-coached team. The doubles point could prove to be critical. We have had quite a bit of success in doubles lately, and taking the doubles point from them would be huge, as we lost it the last time in that 4-3 loss in Lexington."
Senior Day Success ...
Ole Miss (14-9, 5-8) won its 26th straight against in-state rival Mississippi State last Saturday on Senior Day. It was a back and forth battle between the two, and the Rebels were fortunate to escape 4-3. The Rebels had to rally, despite taking the doubles point and a quick win from senior Erin Stephens at No. 4 singles to go up 2-0. State picked up wins at Nos. 1, 5 and 3 singles to take a 3-2 lead, but the Rebels did not go away, with Mai El Kamash earning a come-from-behind win at No. 2 singles to tie it. All eyes then focused on Zalina Khairudinova, who erased a 3-0 deficit in the third set against Mississippi State's Timea Guibe to clinch 6-3, 6-7(7), 7-5.
Scouting Kentucky ...
Kentucky, ranked No. 20, closed out the regular season with a 15-11 record and a 6-7 mark in the SEC. In the final weekend, UK opened with a 4-0 loss at No. 27 LSU on Thursday before a 4-0 defeat at No. 10 Texas A&M on Sunday. The Wildcats are led by 76th-ranked Nadia Ravita, who owns a 9-8 record at No. 1 singles. Their No. 1 doubles team of Aldila Sutjiadi and Mami Adachi come into the tournament with a 6-5 record.
Series ...
Ole Miss has won six of the last seven meetings against Kentucky.
Last Meeting ...
In their last meeting, Kentucky took a tight doubles point and then picked up singles wins at four, three and six to clinch the win. Ole Miss won at one, two and five.
The Winner Gets ...
The winner of Thursday's match will move on to play the tournament's No. 1 seed, Florida, Friday at 9 a.m. CT. Florida won the regular season SEC Championship.
100 Wins and Counting ...
Senior Julia Jones, ranked No. 12 in the nation, is officially the seventh player in Ole Miss history to achieve 100 wins during her time as an Ole Miss Rebel. Jones' 100th career win gave her 27 for the year and she is now 17-4 at No. 1 singles. She needs three more wins to become the 10th player to record 30 in a season. To read more about Julia and her road to 100 wins, click here.
National Rankings ...
The Rebels are up three spots to No. 22 in this week's ITA National Rankings. In the singles rankings, senior Julia Jones is ranked No. 11 and freshman Arianne Hartono is ranked No. 72. In doubles, junior Mai El Kamash and senior Erin Stephens are ranked No. 56.
Double Dip ...
OIe Miss is one of 16 schools to have both its tennis teams in the top 25 of the ITA National Rankings. The men are ranked No. 13 and will open their campaign at the SEC Championship Friday in College Station, Texas.
Live Coverage ...
Fans can follow all the action during the SEC Championship with live scoring on the tournament central page.
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissWTennis, on Facebook at OleMissWTennis and on Instagram at OleMissWTennis.
