The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Earns 7th Consecutive NCAA Bid
4/28/2015 | Women's Tennis
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BLOG: Tennis Teams React to NCAA Tournament Selections
OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss women's tennis team earned its seventh consecutive and 18th overall NCAA Championship bid and will travel to Coral Gables, Florida for the first and second rounds. The Rebels will face Denver in the first round on Friday, May 8 at 10 a.m. CT.
The other first round match features the host, Miami against North Florida. The winners will meet Saturday, May 9 at 1 p.m. CT for the right to advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in Waco, Texas. All matches will be played at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
"We are very excited to go to Miami," head coach Mark Beyers said. "We played a fall tournament there a couple of years ago. It's going to be hot, but we're probably more used to that than Denver. Should we advance, Miami is obviously a very talented team, but we won't look past Denver."
Ole Miss finished the regular season with a 15-10 overall record. The Rebels are led by senior Julia Jones, who earned first team All-SEC honors. Jones is currently ranked No. 9 in the nation in singles and this year became the seventh player in program history to record 100 wins in a career. She has a 28-9 overall record, 18-6 at No. 1 singles and finished 8-4 in SEC play.
Jones, who grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, is excited about heading to the Sunshine State to begin her final NCAA Team Championships.
"It's a very good draw, and exciting to play someone new," Jones said. "It's a fun place and we'll be able to play outside. I think it's good for us. I am from Florida, so I love playing tennis in the heat. We have about a week before we head down there, and we are all very excited."
While Jones has led the Rebels all season at the top of the lineup, the Rebels have been fortunate to have depth on their side, especially when freshman Arianne Hartono was sidelined for the final six regular season matches and the SEC Tournament due to injury. Still, she earned SEC All-Freshman honors and is 18-9 overall, 9-5 at No. 2 singles.
The Rebels are hopeful on Hartono's availability for next weekend's matches.
"With Arianne in the lineup, I truly believe we are a team that should be somewhere in the top 10-15 in the country," Beyers said. "She's hitting tennis balls again, so hopefully we'll get to see her out there again next weekend.
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.
NCAA First and Second Rounds -- Coral Gables, Florida
Friday, May 8
10 AM - Ole Miss vs. Denver
1 PM -- North Florida vs. Miami
Saturday, May 9
1 PM - Championship Match
Players Mentioned
