Top 25 Matchup on Tap for Men’s Tennis Friday

			NO. 22 OLE MISS (5-1) vs. NO. 20 OKLAHOMA STATE (4-1) January 31 • 6 P.M. • Oxford, Miss. William F. Galtney Indoor Center
Live Video and Scoring

OXFORD, Miss. -- Two days after earning Top 25 recognition from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), Ole Miss Men's Tennis (5-1) will host a familiar ranked foe in No. 20 Oklahoma State Friday at the William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center, located along Manning Way.

The Rebels and Cowboys square off at 6 p.m., with a free popcorn bar available to the first 100 fans in attendance.

The match is available through the live scoring links provided.

REBEL RECAP
Ole Miss had a thrilling weekend in Champaign, Ill., during the ITA Kickoff, where they upset No. 12 Illinois and nearly pulled off another against then-No. 20 Michigan. Sophomore Simon Junk played the hero for the Rebs against the Illini, clinching his first-ever collegiate match on a third-set tiebreaker.

NUMBER 22
The Rebels appeared in the ITA rankings for the first time this season, claiming a No. 22 plaudit after their efforts in Champaign. Individual rankings have not came out yet, but senior Tim Sandkaulen still carries a No. 35 ranking in singles from the fall.

SCOUTING THE POKES
Oklahoma State enters the weekend on a 4-1 clip, their lone loss coming to then-No. 18 Columbia in the opening round of their ITA Kickoff in Knoxville, Tenn. The Cowboys responded with their first ranked win of the season, a 4-3 victory over then-No. 25 Arizona State. OSU boasts the number one ranked doubles pair in the country in juniors Matej Vocel and Dominik Kellovsky. Both are also ranked individually, as well as the pairing of junior Luke Hammond and sophomore Emile Hudd at No. 19. Hudd is also ranked in singles.

HELLO OLD FRIEND
Friday's meeting between Ole Miss and Oklahoma State will be their third in a year. The Rebels triumphed over the then-No. 20 Cowboys last February in Stillwater, a thrilling 4-3 upset for the unranked Rebs thanks to the clinch king in now-graduate Fabian Fallert.

The two teams squared off again in the first round of the NCAA Championships in Los Angeles, with Oklahoma State prevailing 4-1, Fallert the lone victor.

Perhaps the biggest rivalry brewing is between Sandkaulen and Vocel. Sandkaulen downed Vocel 6-0, 6-2 last February, and two were halted in their second set during the NCAA Championships.

UP NEXT
Ole Miss will next return to the court for the prestigious Blue Gray National Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Ala., on Feb. 21-23. The Rebels pulled off another thrilling upset in the event last year, taking down then-No. 16 Alabama en route to the finals, where they fell 4-1 to Arizona.

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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

Simon Junk

Tim Sandkaulen

The University of Mississippi Athletics