The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels to Host Top 25 Opponents
3/29/2016 | Women's Tennis
| Live Video
OXFORD, Miss. - After splitting a pair of matches on the road this past weekend, the Ole Miss women's tennis team is back at home to face No. 23 Kentucky and No. 5 Vanderbilt.
The Rebels and the Wildcats are set to square off at 3 p.m., Thursday, and Saturday's match against the Commodores will start at 1 p.m. Both matches will be at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center, weather permitting, and admission is free.
Promotions...
Fans will receive a free Ole Miss Tennis tumbler at Thursday's match. Saturday's match is Senior Day and fans will get Ole Miss Tennis balls.
Last time out...
In their last action, the Rebels defeated Alabama 5-2 before dropping a 4-1 decision to Auburn, both on the road. Sophomore Arianne Hartono won both her matches in singles, improving to 17-8 overall, 10-2 at No. 1 singles. She is 4-2 in the SEC. With the win against Alabama, the Rebels snapped a five-match losing streak to the Crimson Tide and earned the first victory in Tuscaloosa since 2010.
Scouting Kentucky...
With Kentucky's 4-2 win over Tennessee, the Wildcats moved to 13-6 overall and 2-5 in the SEC. The Wildcats boast two ranked players in singles, including Justina MikulskytÄ—, who recorded her fourth ranked win of her career with an upset of Tennessee's top singles player and is ranked No. 76.
Scouting Vanderbilt...
On Sunday, the Rebels will face the defending NCAA Champion, Vanderbilt, who is ranked No. 5 in the nation. The Commodores beat No. 4 Georgia in their last match to improve to 12-4 overall and 5-2 in conference action. Vanderbilt has three players in the singles rankings, led by No. 17 Frances Altick. Freshman Fernanda Contreras continued her dominance in singles and owns an undefeated 5-0 SEC record at No. 6.
Rebels vs. Kentucky and Vanderbilt...
In their Southeastern Conference opener last year, the Rebels dropped a tight 4-3 match to the Wildcats and a 6-1 decision to the Commodores.
National Rankings...
The Rebels are ranked No. 36 in the latest Oracle/ITA National Rankings. In the current individual rankings, Arianne Hartono is ranked No. 37 in singles, followed by sophomore Natalie Suk at No. 97, senior Mai El Kamash at No. 98 and freshman Tea Jandric at No. 119. Hartono and El Kamash are ranked No. 26 in doubles.
Senior Salute...
On Saturday, the Rebels will celebrate Senior Day and honor seniors Mai El Kamash, Marija Milutinovic and Allie Robbins prior to the start of the match.
Quoting Head Coach Mark Beyers...
"We are excited to be at home this weekend along with the guys. We look forward to hosting two top 25 teams. Obviously, Vanderbilt is the defending NCAA Champion, but Kentucky is another very good team. Saturday is Senior Day, and we will celebrate our seniors. We want to encourage everyone to come out and support us and see some great tennis."
