The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Kentucky
No. 11 Rebels Top No. 14 Kentucky 4-1
3/15/2018 | Women's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - Behind a clutch doubles performance and singles wins from Alexa Bortles, Arianne Hartono and Tea Jandric, the No. 11-ranked Ole Miss women's tennis team topped No. 14 Kentucky 4-1 here Thursday at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
With the win, the Rebels improved to 11-4 overall and 2-3 in the SEC.
Ole Miss came up clutch to win the doubles point and take a 1-0 lead. After a 6-1 win on court three from Natalie Suk and Anna Vrbenska, Kentucky won on court two, 6-2, leaving it up to court one to decide the point. Hartono and Bortles battled back to get a 7-5 win and clinch the early 1-0 lead for the Rebels.
Singles was a battle on every court, except at six, where Bortles cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 win against Kentucky's Brianna Tulloch to make it 2-0 Rebels.
The Wildcats picked up their only point at No. 3 singles as Mami Adachi defeated Suk 7-6, 6-0.
Hartono, ranked No. 13, handed the Rebels a 3-1 lead with a 6-4, 6-4 win against Justina Mikulskyte at No. 1 singles.
With the remaining three matches all in third sets, Jandric finished off Lesedi Jacobs 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 on court four to clinch the victory.
When play was stopped, Vrbenska led her third set 5-3 and freshman Sabina Machalova led 1-0 in the third and was about to break.
Quick Hits...
• The Rebels improved to 11-4 overall, 2-3 in the SEC.
• The win snapped a three-match losing streak in the series for the Rebels.
• The Rebels have now defeated four top 20 teams this season.
• Tea Jandric improved to 9-1 in dual matches, 3-0 in the SEC.
• Jandric has won eight straight matches.
• Arianne Hartono is now 20-5 overall, 11-1 at No. 1 singles and 4-1 in the SEC.
• Hartono and Alexa Bortles improved to 8-3 at No. 1 doubles.
#11 Ole Miss 4, #14 Kentucky 1
Doubles
1. #11 Arianne Hartono/Alexa Bortles (OM) def. #40 Mami Adachi/Emily Fanning (UK) 7-5
2. Lesedi Jacobs/Justina Mikulskyte (UK) def. Sabina Machalova/Tea Jandric (OM) 6-2
3. Natalie Suk/Anna Vrbenska (OM) def. Diana Tkachenko/Brianna Tulloch (UK) 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
1. #13 Arianne Hartono (OM) def. #122 Justina Mikulskyte (UK) 6-4, 6-4
2. #106 Sabina Machalova (OM) vs. Emily Fanning (UK) 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 1-0, sus.
3. Mami Adachi (UK) def. Natalie Suk (OM) 7-6 (7-4), 6-0
4. #69 Tea Jandric (OM) def. Diana Tkachenko (UK) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
5. Anna Vrbenska (OM) vs. Lesedi Jacobs (UK) 5-7, 6-1, 5-3, sus.
6. Alexa Bortles (OM) def. Brianna Tulloch (UK) 6-2, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6, 3, 1, 4
Courtside with Head Coach Mark Beyers...
"Winning the doubles was huge. Obviously, we've struggled the past few weeks in doubles, but hopefully this will give us some confidence not only for Saturday but moving forward after this weekend. It was a battle in singles just like it always is in the SEC, with lots of momentum changes and several three-setters. Overall, it was a great team effort against an excellent Kentucky team. They're ranked No. 14 for a reason, so it's fantastic to be able to come out on top."
On Getting a Quick Singles Win and Turning Some Matches...
"It doesn't happen often in the SEC, so when you can get a quick one, you'll take it. I always tell the team be prepared to battle, and I am proud that we were able to turn some matches around. Anna loses the first set, but then wins the second and is up 5-3 in the third. Tea loses the second set and then comes back to win the third fairly easy. Ari won two tight sets and Sabina was about to go up 2-0 in the third. Those are big things that maybe go unnoticed for some of the fans, but to be able to turn that momentum one more time was the difference."
On Saturday's Match against No. 2 Vanderbilt...
"Looking at our schedule, after Saturday, 9 of our first 16 matches will have been against teams ranked in the top 18 in the country. That's insane. But, having played all those types of matches already and having that exposure, we believe that we can compete with anybody in the country."
Senior Arianne Hartono
"It feels great to get this win. We've been struggling in doubles so much lately, so it was huge for us to get the point. It gave us a lot of confidence and we carried it over to singles. Even though everyone had ups and downs in singles, we all did a great job of fighting back and showed a lot of toughness out there."
On the Upcoming Match vs. No. 2 Vanderbilt...
"We had a great match today, but we have to get ready for Saturday now. We'll definitely be challenged, but it's also a great opportunity for us to play against one of the best teams in the country. We'll come out here, have fun and embrace the challenge."
Next up...
The Rebels and Commodores will square off Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center weather permitting.
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
