Men's Tennis Opens SEC Slate at Home

OXFORD, Miss. – After knocking off two ranked teams in non-conference play, the Ole Miss Men's tennis team is primed for SEC action. The Rebels host Kentucky Friday at 6 p.m. CT and a Sunday doubleheader with Vanderbilt (1 p.m.) and Mississippi Valley State (5 p.m.).

All matches are scheduled to be played outside at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center, located off Fraternity Row. Check the @OleMissMTennis Twitter account for in-match updates, as well as location changes due to impending inclement weather.

If the matches are moved, they will be relocated to the William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center, located along Manning Way.

LAST TIME ON THE COURT
Ole Miss (7-4) finished runner-up at the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic last weekend in Montgomery, Ala. The Rebels used identical 4-2 decisions to advance past Princeton and then-No. 16 Alabama. Arizona ended Ole Miss' run in the finale, 4-1. Both Arizona (No. 22) and the Rebels (No. 30) vaulted up the latest ITA rankings. Ole Miss has now won five of their last six matches.

Junior Tim Sandkaulen picked up a ranked win in the Bama match, taking down their top singles player Mazin Osama, rated No. 32 in the latest ITA rankings. Sandkaulen has now won three consecutive matches, all coming at first singles. He also teamed up with senior Filip Kraljavic for two doubles wins in the tournament, including a victory over ranked foes from Princeton.

Freshmen Simon Junk and Karlo Kranic each recorded four victories spanning the three matches, teaming up in doubles and playing at four and five in singles, respectively.

SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Kranic was tabbed SEC Freshman of the Week for his efforts in the Blue Gray Classic. The rookie recorded four total wins over the weekend, his win against Alabama marking his fourth straight victory. He is the first Rebel to earn the honor since Gustav Hansson in 2015.

THIS IS OUR HOUSE
The Rebels are undefeated at home and have yet to surrender a point in match play this season in Oxford, carrying a pristine 16-0 mark, registering four sweeps.

CLINCH KING
Senior Fabian Fallert has come up large in big matches this season. He clinched both match points in both of the Rebels' top-25 upsets. His efforts against the Cowboys landed him SEC Player of the Week honors, the first weekly honor of his career. His clincher against Alabama was also critical and his first victory over a ranked opponent this season.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Kentucky (6-6) enters losing two straight to ranked foes (No. 1 Ohio State, then-No. 21 Oklahoma). However, the Wildcats haven't given up a point in four victories, while only losing to one unranked team. Ryotaro Matsumura is the team's sole ranked player, coming in at No. 29. Ole Miss will look for revenge after falling 0-4 in Lexington last year.

SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
Vanderbilt (10-2) is riding a seven-match win streak entering SEC play. The Commodores are tied for No. 27 in the ITA ranks. Cameron Klinger and Billy Rowe boast a No. 52 ranking for doubles. The Rebels have bested Vanderbilt in five of the last six matches. The Commodores will face No. 8 Mississippi State in Starkville on Friday before traveling to Oxford.

SCOUTING THE DELTA DEVILS
Mississippi Valley State (0-7) will face its first Power Five school of the season Sunday evening. The Rebels will look to remain unblemished against SWAC competition after sweeping Alcorn State in a doubleheader on Feb. 9.

UP NEXT
Ole Miss hits the road and will face No. 10 Florida on Friday, March 8. The match is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. CT.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Fabian Fallert

Gustav Hansson

Simon Junk

Tim Sandkaulen

The University of Mississippi Athletics