The University of Mississippi Athletics
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UC Irvine
Women's Tennis Shuts Out UC Irvine in Season Opener
1/14/2017 | Women's Tennis
IRVINE, Calif. - In the 2017 season opener, the Ole Miss women's tennis team left no doubt that they were ready, shutting out UC Irvine 7-0 to conclude the first part of their trip out west. They will now head across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii for their next match.
The Rebels won all three doubles matches to begin with the 1-0 lead. Sophomore Tea Jandric quickly made it 2-0 as she shut out her opponent, Jacqueline Tsodikova, 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5 singles.
Freshman Alexa Bortles joined the team 10 days ago and stepped right into the lineup in doubles and singles and won both. Her 6-2, 6-1 win over Hali Dickson at No. 6 singles gave the Rebels a 3-0 lead. Bortles teamed up with Natalie Suk for a 7-6 win at No. 2 doubles.
Senior Zalina Khairudinova finished off the Anteaters, downing Cassidy Branstine 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4 singles.
At the net...
• The Rebels improved to 13-3 in season openers under head coach Mark Beyers.
• Senior Zalina Khairudinova improved to a team-leading 7-3 on the year.
• Junior All-American Arianne Hartono improved to 6-3 on the year.
• Two freshman made their debut. Alexa Bortles and Anna Vrbenska both won in doubles and singles.
• The Rebels did not drop a set in any of the singles matches
Thoughts from head coach Mark Beyers...
"Solid start to the season. It's always good to get the butterflies out, play a match and get a 'W'. I am proud of the way we competed and of our energy level. As we get more practice and match play in, the level of tennis will continue to go up. All-in-all a very good start to the season for us."
Complete results
Doubles
1. Arianne Hartono/Anna Vrbenska (OM) def. Constance Branstine/Stephanie Nguyen (UCI) 6-4
2. Alexa Bortles/Natalie Suk (OM) def. Vivien Dvali/Hali Dickson (UCI) 7-6 (4)
3. Zalina Khairudinova/Tea Jandric (OM) def. Cassidy Branstine/Jacqueline Tsodikova (UCI) 6-0
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. #31 Arianne Hartono (OM) def. Constance Branstine (UCI-W) 6-3, 6-0
2. Natalie Suk (OM) def. Vivien Dvali (UCI-W) 6-2, 6-4
3. Anna Vrbenska (OM) def. Stephanie Nguyen (UCI-W) 6-2, 6-2
4. Zalina Khairudinova (OM) def. Cassidy Branstine (UCI-W) 6-1, 6-1
5. Tea Jandric (OM) def. Jacqueline Tsodikova (UCI-W) 6-0, 6-0
6. Alexa Bortles (OM) def. Hali Dickson (UCI-W) 6-1, 6-1
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 4, 1, 3, 2
Up next...
The Rebels will head to Hawaii to face the Rainbow Wahine Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. CT.
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. Also follow Coach Beyers on Twitter, @MarkBeyers.
Players Mentioned
