The University of Mississippi Athletics
No. 25 Rebels Set to Face No. 8 Stanford
1/28/2016 | Women's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - The No. 25 ranked Ole Miss women's tennis team will face one of the most storied programs in collegiate tennis Friday when they take on No. 8 Stanford in Nashville, Tennessee.
The match begins at 11 a.m., at Vanderbilt's Currey Tennis Center.
Last Time Out...
Ole Miss opened the dual match portion of the season last Saturday with two wins against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Rebels did not drop a game in either match. Before that, the Rebels faced top competition at the Miami Spring Invite, taking on No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 13 Miami and Texas in a hidden-dual format.
Rebel Leaders...
The Rebels boast three players at the top of the lineup in the singles rankings, including senior Mai El Kamash at No. 55. She owns a 10-4 record and teams with sophomore Arianne Hartono for a No. 47 ranking in doubles. Hartono is ranked No. 84 in singles and freshman Tea Jandric is ranked No. 44.
Scouting Stanford...
Stanford, who has won 17 NCAA Championships, started its season Monday with a 7-0 win over Santa Clara at home. The Cardinal is currently led by a pair of junior All-Americans, Taylor Davidson and Caroline Doyle at the top of the lineup. Both players are ranked among the top 40 in the singles rankings and boast a No. 10 ranking in doubles.
Series...
This will be only the third meeting ever between the two schools. Stanford won both previous meetings in Palo Alto in the 1992 NCAA Championships and the 2001 NCAA Championships.
National Rankings...
The Rebels remained at No. 25 in this week's Oracle ITA Tennis Rankings, while Stanford dropped one spot to No. 8. The SEC continues to lead the nation with eight teams in the top 25, four of which will play the Rebels in Oxford later this year.
Quoting Head Coach Mark Beyers...
"Stanford is one of the top programs in all of college tennis and it will be a big challenge for us. One of the main reasons we played the tournament in Miami was so we could face some top competition before we play Stanford. Some of the players like Mai have been through the SEC and played against top-five or top-10 teams, but it will be a new experience for the freshmen."
Next Up...
Following Friday's match, the Rebels will return home to for a pair of matches next weekend against Purdue and Memphis.
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter @OleMissWTennis, on Facebook at OleMissWTennis and on Instagram at OleMissWTennis. Also follow Coach Beyers on Twitter, @MarkBeyers.
