The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Memphis
No. 15 Rebels Top Memphis 4-2
2/3/2018 | Women's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - In their home opener, the No. 15 ranked Ole Miss women's tennis team rallied from dropping the doubles point for a 4-2 win at the Ole Miss Indoor Tennis Center, Saturday.
Ole Miss got off to a slow start in the match, and Memphis capitalized winning the opening point with a pair of doubles wins on courts two and three.
The Tigers added to their lead with a quick win on court two, but that would be it as the Rebels got straight set wins from Anna Vrbenska at No. 6, Tea Jandric at No. 4 and Alexa Bortles at No. 5 to pull ahead 3-2.
Freshman Sabina Machalova had just gone to a third set on court two, when senior Arianne Hartono made sure that would not be necessary rallying from 5-3 down in the second set for a 6-4, 7-5 win to clinch the match.
Quick Hits...
• The Rebels improved to 4-0.
• The Rebels improved to 25-3 all-time against Memphis.
• Arianne Hartono moved to 13-4 overall and 4-0 at No. 1 singles. She has won six in a row.
• Hartono and Alexa Bortles improved to 12-5 overall and 3-0 at No. 1 doubles.
• Tea Jandric improved to 10-6 overall.
• Alexa Bortles is now 9-2 overall.
#15 Ole Miss 4, Memphis 2
Doubles
1. #13 Arianne Hartono/Alexa Bortles (OM) def. Laura Bente/Anki Wind (MEMPHIS) 6-3
2. Hanna Sohn/Katherine Cao (MEMPHIS) def. #22 Natalie Suk/Sabina Machalova (OM) 6-3
3. Claire Sullivan/Josephine Cao (MEMPHIS) def. #58 Tea Jandric/Anna Vrbenska (OM) 7-5
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. #50 Arianne Hartono (OM) def. Hanna Sohn (MEMPHIS) 6-4, 7-5
2. Laura Bente (MEMPHIS) def. #81 Natalie Suk (OM) 6-1, 6-2
3. #62 Sabina Machalova (OM) vs. Anki Wind (MEMPHIS) 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), unfinished
4. #95 Tea Jandric (OM) def. Claire Sullivan (MEMPHIS) 6-0, 6-3
5. Alexa Bortles (OM) def. Katherine Cao (MEMPHIS) 6-3, 6-2
6. Anna Vrbenska (OM) def. Josephine Cao (MEMPHIS) 6-2, 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 6, 4, 5, 1
Courtside with Head Coach Mark Beyers...
"It was an exciting match with a great crowd. It was tough, Memphis came in here with nothing to lose and they played with a lot of energy and very aggressive. Memphis made it uncomfortable for us early in the match, and we played a little tight. Fortunately, we got three straight set wins at the bottom and then closed it out at the top with Ari."
On Coming back in Singles...
"I'll put Anna, Alexa and Tea at those positions up against anybody in the country. They did a great job and won pretty decisively. Memphis was impressive at 1, 2 and 3. Ari being down 5-3 in the second and coming back shows her level of experience. She played four flawless games of tennis to clinch."
On handling expectations...
"I told the players, that when your ranking goes up, people come in here knowing it's a great opportunity for them to get a big win. It was good for it to happen early in the season, so we can learn from it and hopefully next time we can handle the situation a little better. Teams like Florida and Stanford who have been ranked highly for a long time are used to dealing with expectations. As we move up in the rankings, we need to learn how to handle the expectations that come with it just a little better and be confident in our own abilities."
Senior Arianne Hartono...
"They came in here with nothing to lose knowing they were playing a high ranked team. It was a great opportunity for them, and they battled hard. For us, I think dealing with the pressure of being ranked that high and playing for the first time in our new facility in front of the home fans for the first time this season, we were a little nervous. We all battled hard and I am glad it ended up being a good day at the office."
On Clinching...
"I decided that I was not going to lose to that girl and I was going to come through for the team. With the other players on the court next to me cheering I just knew I had to get it done."
On Upcoming National Team Indoor...
"It's an awesome opportunity for us to qualify for the second year in a row. We are all very excited to play against the top teams in the country, it will be a great challenge."
Next up...
The Rebels head to Madison, Wisconsin next week for the ITA National Team Indoor Feb. 9-12 at the University of Wisconsin. The draw will be announced next week.
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
