Men’s Tennis Concludes Regular Season at Kentucky and Vanderbilt

			Friday No. 12 OLE MISS (9-8, 6-4 SEC) at No. 17 KENTUCKY (15-6, 5-5 SEC) Fri., April 9 • 4:00 p.m. • Lexington, Ky. Boone Varsity Tennis Complex
Live Scoring

			Sunday No. 12 OLE MISS (9-8, 6-4 SEC) at VANDERBILT (6-13, 0-10 SEC) Sun., April 11 • 12:00 p.m. • Nashville, Tenn. Currey Tennis Center
Live Scoring /Video

LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 12 Ole Miss (9-8, 6-4 SEC) wraps-up the 2021 regular season at No. 17 Kentucky (15-6, 5-5 SEC) at 4 p.m. CT on Friday and at Vanderbilt (6-13, 0-10 SEC) at noon CT on Sunday.

Close Calls

Last weekend the Rebels split their two weekend matches at Auburn and home vs. No. 35 Alabama. Ole Miss defeated The Tigers, 4-3, on the road on Friday, April 2. The Rebels jumped ahead in the match early and clinched the victory at 4-0 overall. Ole Miss fell to the Crimson Tide, 4-3, on Senior Day (April 4).

The Rebels have competed in a handful of highly-contested matches this season. Eight of 17 matches this season have been decided 4-3. Ole Miss is 4-4 overall in 4-3 duals. The Rebels have fought hard in every match this year. Ole Miss has won at least two matches in their eight losses this season. The Rebels have had a margin of victory of three matches or greater in five of nine wins this season.

Last Time Facing Kentucky

Ole Miss fell to Kentucky 4-3 in their last meeting in 2019. The Rebels were narrowly edged out at home after claiming the doubles point. Tim Sandkaulen won in both singles and doubles versus the Wildcats at the No. 1 position in both disciplines. Sandkaulen, unranked at the time, defeated No. 29 Ryo Matsumura in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.

Scouting the Wildcats

The Wildcats opened the season 9-0, however are 6-6 in their last 12 matches. Kentucky split their two matches last weekend. The Wildcats defeated No. 10 South Carolina at home (4-2, April 2) and lost at No. 1 Florida (5-2, April 4). Kentucky is 2-5 versus ranked opponents this season. The Rebels will have a tough task of taking on the Wildcats in Lexington. Kentucky is a perfect 13-0 at home.

Kentucky features four top-100 singles players and are led by No. 7 Liam Draxl. In doubles, the Wildcats' top pairing of Cesar Bourgois and Gabriel Diallo rank No. 20 in the nation. Draxl and Diallo shared SEC Newcomer of the Week Honors on March 31.

Last Time Facing Vanderbilt

The Rebels fell 4-1 to the Commodores in their last meeting in 2019. Ole Miss won the doubles point 2-1, but were swept 4-0 in singles. Current Rebel Simon Junk earned a 6-4 victory at No. 3 doubles versus Vanderbilt.

Scouting the Commodores

Vanderbilt has not won a match in the SEC this season. The Commodores are 2-8 in their last ten matches, having earned victories over DePaul (6-1, March 24) and Tennessee State (7-0, March 30). Vanderbilt is 6-6 when playing at home in 2021.

George Harwell leads the Commodores at No. 1 Singles. Harwell is individually ranked No. 98 in the nation.

Next Up

Ole Miss will travel to Fayetteville, Ark. For the SEC Championship beginning Monday, April 19. The Rebels first opponent in the conference tournament has yet to be determined.

For more information on Ole Miss Men's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMTennis, on Facebook at OleMissMTennis and on Instagram at OleMissMTennis, follow Coach Hansson on Twitter at @TennisToby.

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Players Mentioned

Simon Junk

Tim Sandkaulen

The University of Mississippi Athletics