The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis Ready for ITA Kick-Off
1/26/2017 | Men's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. â€" It's early in the 2017 season, but the Ole Miss men's tennis team would love to make a statement. This weekend the Rebels will get that opportunity, as they face tough competition at the ITA Kick-Off in College Station, Texas.
The Rebels will face No. 23 SMU Saturday at 11 a.m., in the first round. Host Texas A&M, ranked No. 15, will play No. 21 Baylor, with the winners of both matches facing off Sunday for a spot in the National Team Indoor. The losers will play in the consolation match Sunday.
All about ITA Kick-Off…
There are 15 "regionals" being played, with four teams competing in each regional. The winners of the single-elimination event advance to next month's ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championships. Virginia will serve as host for the National Team Indoor and received an automatic invitation to the event. Host sites for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend were determined using the final 2015-16 Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings. A draft was held to fill the Nos. 2-4 seeds at all locations, again using the final national team rankings as a guide to determine draft order.
Scouting SMU…
SMU upset then-No. 19 Arkansas last weekend and moved into the top 25 at No. 23. The Mustangs (2-1) have played two ranked opponents this season as they also faced No. 4 Texas and lost 4-1. SMU is led by junior Ronald Slobodchikov, who beat the No. 3 ranked player in the nation to clinch the team's win at Arkansas.
Rebels vs. SMU…
In their only other meeting, the Rebels shut out SMU 4-0 in 2014 in Waco, Texas. Senior Ricardo Jorge was a freshman on the team that year and clinched the win at No. 5 singles.
Hansson to face alma mater…
The Rebels will be going against head coach Toby Hansson's alma mater Saturday. Hansson enjoyed an All-American career at SMU from 1997-2000. He helped lead the Mustangs to two WAC Championships, three consecutive NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances and two top-15 national finishes from 1997-2000. Hansson was named the WAC Player of the Year in 2000.
Texas A&M and Baylor…
Texas A&M, ranked No. 15, defeated Rice 4-3 in its season opener. The Aggies are led by No. 16 ranked Arthur Rinderknech. Rinderknech is also part of the No. 7 ranked doubles team along with Max Lunkin. Baylor enters the weekend ranked No. 21 with a 2-0 record. The Bears are led by 44th-ranked Max Tchoutakian.
Last time out…
The Rebels opened the season in Hawaii posting 16 wins against players from LSU and Duke as part of the Rainbow Warrior Classic and then shutting out Hawaii 7-0 in their first dual match.
Rebels in the rankings…
Junior All-American Gustav Hansson is ranked No. 14 in singles and freshman Tim Sandkaulen is ranked No. 83. All three of the Rebels doubles teams are ranked with Fabian Fallert and Grey Hamilton at No. 13, Zvonimir Babic and Filip Kraljevic at No. 40 and Hansson/Sandkaulen at No. 57.
Thoughts from head coach Toby Hansson…
"We are obviously looking forward to competing again. The guys are excited about this opportunity and can't wait to get out there and show what they can do. All four teams are very competitive and whoever comes out of this group will be deserving of moving on to the round of 16. We have a very tight group of guys who always fight hard for each other. We believe in them and I am confident that we can get the job done."
Follow the ITA Kick-Off…
Follow the Rebels during the ITA Kick-Off with live scoring at OleMissSports.com and on twitter, @OleMissMTennis.
For more information on Ole Miss Men's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter @OleMissMTennis, on Facebook at OleMissMTennis and on Instagram at OleMissMTennis, follow Coach Hansson on Twitter at @TennisToby.
