Rebels Best Bulldogs 4-1 for First SEC Win

OXFORD, Miss. – In their first match of the season at Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center, Ole Miss Women's Tennis (4-5, 1-2 SEC) did not disappoint, delivering their first league victory of 2019 in dominating fashion over rivals Mississippi State (10-5, 1-2 SEC) 4-1 Sunday afternoon.

The Rebels rallied after dropping the doubles point, as each won her opening set of singles competition, including a tiebreaker on Court 5 for junior Alexa Bortles and a grueling 7-5 battle for senior Allie Sanford at No. 6.

Ole Miss got on the board thanks to the quick work from junior Tereza Janatova, who cruised through at No. 4 singles 6-1, 6-2 to even the score in a mere 40 minutes.

The match sat at a stalemate for nearly an hour before senior Tea Jandric put the Rebs on top with identical 6-4, 6-4 decisions, not allowing a point during the final game. The victory was Jandric's first over a ranked opponent this spring.

Bortles finished just moments later after carrying over the momentum from her tiebreak to dominate the second set, giving Ole Miss a 3-1 lead and set up the opportunity to clinch.

All eyes turned to Courts 2, 3, and 6, where the remaining Rebels all carried leads. Sophomore Sabina Machalova had split her first two sets, junior Anna Vrbenska was up two games on Court 3, and senior Allie Sanford was carrying a commanding four-game lead at No. 6.

Both Machalova and Vrbenska were at match point, but Machalova sealed her third set just seconds before Vrbenska finished, clinching for Ole Miss with her first ranked win of the season.

AT THE NET WITH…. HEAD COACH MARK BEYERS
Opening Statement…
"First of all, it was a fantastic day. I thought we had a great crowd out here, which definitely helped. Our kids played with a lot of energy and got the crowd involved."

On beating the Bulldogs…
"I'll tell you what, Mississippi State is a heck of a team. They beat Florida last week and to beat them 4-1 the way we did was very impressive. We needed this win after going 0-2 to start SEC (play) last week and I was just so proud of the girls after (losing) that doubles point, coming back winning six first sets, and carrying that momentum to get four wins."

On a complete team performance…
"Yeah I think especially in singles it was the most complete match we've played. I think we've had different people play well at different times, but it always seemed like one or two people weren't playing very well and kind of lost their matches pretty quickly. This was one of those matches where we competed in every spot and never gave (Mississippi State) anything free. And then it's hard for them to get some momentum going when we were able to win six first sets. It's tough for them to get some things going."

RESULTS
1. S. Machalova/A. Bortles vs. M. Adaloglou/T. Racine, 4-3, unfinished
2. E. Antonaki/A. Rentouli (MSU) def. T. Jandric/T. Janatova, 6-3
3. S. Lizariturry/J. Braun (MSU) def. A. Vrbenska/A. Sanford, 6-0

1. T. Jandric def. #113 M. Adaloglou (MSU), 6-4, 6-4
2. S. Machalova def. #81 E. Antonaki (MSU), 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
3. A. Vrbenska vs. A. Rentouli (MSU), 7-5, 5-3, unfinished
4. T. Janatova def. T. Racine (MSU), 6-1, 6-2
5. A. Bortles def. S. Lizariturry (MSU), 7-6 (5), 6-1
6. A. Sanford vs. M. Roberts (MSU), 7-5, 5-1, unfinished

UP NEXT
Ole Miss remains at home, welcoming a pair of SEC foes from the Yellowhammer state, hosting Alabama Friday and Auburn Sunday. Both matches are slated to be held at Palmer/Salloum, but could be relocated to the Galtney Indoor Tennis Center pending weather.

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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.

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Alexa Bortles

Tereza Janatova

Tea Jandric

Sabina Machalova

Allie Sanford

Anna Vrbenska