The University of Mississippi Athletics
Road to Waco Begins in Miami for Rebels
5/6/2015 | Women's Tennis
NCAA Notes (PDF)
OXFORD, Miss. -- With final exams done for the year, the Ole Miss women's tennis team left Oxford before the sun came up Wednesday, headed to Miami, where they will begin their NCAA journey this weekend.
The Rebels, making their seventh consecutive NCAA appearance, will face Denver in the first round Friday at 10 a.m. CT at the Neill Schiff Tennis Center. The winner will meet the winner of Miami/North Florida, Saturday at 1 p.m. CT, for a berth in the Sweet Sixteen in Waco, Texas.
"We've had a good couple of weeks of practice since the SEC Tournament, and we are excited to put exams behind us and focus on playing well this weekend," head coach Mark Beyers said. "We are looking forward to having our entire team back out there, and hopefully we can beat Denver and have a chance to upset Miami."
This marks the final NCAA appearance for seniors Julia Jones, Erin Stephens and Iris Verboven, and the trio would like to help the Rebels get to Waco.
"We are all very excited to be done with school, and we now we can focus on just tennis and preparing to play our best this weekend," said Jones, who heads into the NCAAs ranked No. 10 in the nation. "I am excited about playing in Miami. I am from Florida, so I love playing in the heat. We are confident that if we play well anything can happen."
Junior Mai El Kamash and sophomore Zalina Khairudinova can draw on their experience from last year's tournament, while this will be the first NCAA appearance for freshmen Arianne Hartono and Natalie Suk, both of whom have contributed in their first season with the Rebels. Hartono, who is ranked No. 82 in singles, has been practicing again after missing the final six regular season matches and the SEC Tournament with an injury.
Rebels at NCAA Championships ...
The Rebels own a 20-17 overall record in NCAA competition. They have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen eight times and the Elite Eight four times. See page 4 for Ole Miss' complete NCAA results. Â
A Year Ago at NCAA Championships ...
Last year, Ole Miss earned its 17th NCAA bid and traveled to Los Angeles, California for the first and second rounds. The Rebels defeated Texas Tech 4-3 in the first round, but fell to eventual National Champion UCLA (4-0) in the second round.
Two for Two ...
Ole Miss is one of 33 schools to have both its men's and women's tennis teams in the NCAA Championships. The men earned their 22nd consecutive NCAA bid and will host the first and second rounds. The Rebels will face Alabama State in the first round Friday at 3 p.m. Â
Scouting Denver ...
This will be the second appearance in as many years for Denver under head coach Christian Thompson. The Pioneers finished the regular season with a 15-8 overall record and dominated South Dakota State 4-0 to win the Summit League Championship. The Pioneers were a perfect 20-0 in League doubles matches during the regular season. They are led by sophomore Maureen Slattery at No. 1 singles.
Series ...
Ole Miss and Denver have met once previously, and ironically, it was in the NCAA Championships first round in 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Rebels won 4-1 to advance.
The Winner Gets ...
The winner of this match faces the winner of the Miami/North Florida match Saturday at 1 p.m. CT, for the right to advance to the Sweet Sixteen in Waco, Texas.
Follow the matches this weekend with .
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.
Players Mentioned
