The University of Mississippi Athletics
No. 18 Rebels Set for Final Non-Conference Matches
2/19/2016 | Women's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - After a 5-0 start to the season, the No. 18 ranked Ole Miss women's tennis team wraps up non-conference play this Sunday and Monday on the road against Colorado and Tulane. Sunday will mark the first outdoor dual match of the 2016 season for the Rebels.
The Rebels will take on Colorado Sunday at 11 a.m. On Monday, the Rebels will play Tulane at 10 a.m. Both matches will take place at the City Park Pepsi Tennis Club in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Last Time Out...
In their last action, Ole Miss defeated Purdue (5-2) and Memphis (7-0) two weeks ago to remain undefeated on the season at 5-0.
Top of the Lineup…
The Rebels are a combined at 11-1 at the top three spots in the lineup. Tea Jandric (10-6) and Natalie Suk (10-6) both won their 10th match of the year against Memphis, making it five Rebels with at least 10 wins this year. Senior Mai El Kamash is 12-5 and sophomore Arianne Hartono is 11-6. Junior Zalina Khairudinova can join the 10-win club with a win on Sunday.
Scouting Colorado...
Colorado enters Sunday's match at 4-4. They are coming off a 6-1 win against Northern Colorado. The Buffs currently have two players ranked nationally in the ITA singles rankings. Tina Bokhua is ranked No. 42 and Nuria Ormeño Ruiz is No. 115.
Series...
This will be the first meeting between Ole Miss and Colorado.
Scouting Tulane...
Tulane enters Monday's match at 2-6. The Green Wave picked up their second win of the 2016 season, defeating Maryland 4-2 on Tuesday. Tulane is led by sophomore Naz Karagoz, who earned American Athletic All-Conference honors last year.
Ole Miss and Tulane...
This will be the second straight meeting between the two schools. The Rebels downed Tulane 6-1 last year in Oxford.
National Rankings…
In the latest Oracle ITA National Rankings, Ole Miss comes in at No. 18. The Rebels are one of nine teams from the SEC in the top 25. In the current singles rankings, the Rebels boast four players. Arianne Hartono is ranked No. 46, Tea Jandric No. 55, Mai El Kamash No. 65 and Natalie Suk No. 88. El Kamash and Hartono are ranked No. 24 in doubles.
Quoting Head Coach Mark Beyers...
"Colorado and Tulane are both solid teams. We played Tulane last year and they were ranked pretty high as far as their RPI. Colorado playing in the PAC-12 they play against top teams just like us in the SEC. I am sure both will be ready for us, and we're going to have to play good tennis to get the wins."
On the transition from indoor tennis to outdoor…
"The last two days have been pretty nice. It's always a tough time of the year, transitioning form indoor tennis to outdoor tennis, because you never know exactly what the weather will be like. It was a productive week and hopefully we'll able to make that transition and get some wins."
On what he hopes to see from team before SEC play starts…
"Obviously we want to come back 2-0 from this weekend, but at the same time, we also want to make sure we get some confidence going for the SEC gauntlet. We want to not only win, but play well as a team and see some things that we can work on the next couple of weeks before SEC play starts."
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.
