Men’s Tennis Prepares to Host Belmont in NCAA Regional Match

			Match 1 - Saturday TULANE (14-7, 0-0 AAC) vs. MIDDLE TENNESSEE (17-7, 1-0 C-USA) 12 p.m. CT, Oxford, Miss. Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center
Live Scoring

			Match 2 - Saturday No. 15 OLE MISS (11-10, 7-6 SEC) vs. BELMONT (13-4, 3-2 OVC) Not Before 3 p.m. CT, Oxford, Miss. Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center
Ole Miss NCAA Notes • Belmont NCAA Notes • Live Scoring

			Match 3 - Regional Final - Sunday TBD vs. TBD 1 p.m. CT, Oxford, Miss. Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center
Live Scoring

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss, the No. 15 overall seed in the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships, takes on Belmont in first round competition at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center on Saturday. The match is scheduled to begin at approximately 3 p.m. CT following the conclusion of the Tulane vs. Middle Tennessee match at 12 p.m. CT.

The Rebels will host first and second round NCAA regional competition this Saturday and Sunday, May 8-9 at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. Single session tickets are available online prior to the match. If tickets are not sold out prior to matchday, the remaining tickets will be available for purchase via cash only at the gate. Gates will open one hour prior to match time beginning at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday and 12 p.m. CT on Sunday. No fans are permitted if competition is moved indoors.

All live scoring, video, ticketing information, team rosters, tournament draws and programs for this weekend can be accessed at www.olemisssports.com/NCAATennis

Road to Orlando

Ole Miss must win two regional matchups to advance to the NCAA Team Championships final site at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. The USTA National Campus will host matches from the Sweet 16 through the finals from May 16-28.

As regional hosts, the Rebels earned the No. 1 seed in Oxford. Ole Miss takes on No. 4 seed Belmont in the first round. If the Rebels defeat the Bruins, they will then face either No. 2 seed Tulane or No. 3 seed Middle Tennessee State in the regional championship on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.

Ole Miss Tournament History

The Rebels have reached the NCAA Championships for the 27th consecutive season (excluding the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season). Ole Miss has been selected for 29 NCAA Championships in program history. The Rebels reached the NCAA Finals in 1995 and have made it to the Final Four four times, most recently in 2005.

Rebels Recap

This season, Ole Miss has compiled an 11-10 overall record and 7-5 record in SEC competition. The Rebels ranked No. 14 overall in the nation in the final Oracle/ITA poll prior to the tournament (May 5). The Rebels peaked in the team rankings at No. 9 twice this season (March 24 and March 30) and have remained in the top-15 rankings over the last seven weeks. In regular season play, Ole Miss defeated seven ranked opponents this season including three top-12 victories. In postseason competition, the Rebels reached the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals, falling to eventual SEC Tournament Champion Tennessee.

The Rebels won multiple individual awards this season. Tim Sandkaulen and Finn Reynolds, the No. 1 ranked doubles team in the nation, both earned All-SEC First Team accolades. Nikola Slavic earned All-SEC Second Team placement after leading the Rebels in both singles victories (13) and ranked singles wins (8). Slavic was named the SEC Newcomer of the Week twice this year. Freshman John Hallquist Lithén earned a 12-7 record this season and was recognized as the SEC Freshman of the Week on March 31.

Scouting the Regional Field

Belmont Bruins

Belmont earned automatic qualification into the NCAA Team Championships by winning the Ohio Valley Conference Championship for the first time. The Bruins qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second time in their program history. Belmont competed at Ole Miss in their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2006. The Bruins have earned a 13-4 overall record this season and 3-2 record in OVC play. Belmont has not faced any ranked opponents this season.

The Bruins are led by OVC Player of the Year Marko Ilic. Ilic earned an 11-4 dual singles record and 10-5 doubles record this season alongside Tasei Miyamoto. Belmont placed three student-athletes on the All-OVC list, Ilic on the first team and Arthur Toledo and Tomas Luis on the second team. Toledo co-led the Bruins with 13 singles wins this season, and Luis earned double-digit victories with 10.

Tulane Green Wave

Tulane earned a 14-7 overall record this season. The Green Wave did not compete in any conference matches during the regular season and fell to No. 50 SMU in their only AAC match in the conference tournament quarterfinals (April 22). Tulane defeated seven ranked opponents this season, earning all ranked victories versus opponents ranked between No. 29 and No. 46. The Green Wave ranked No. 22 in the final team rankings prior to the NCAA Championships.

The Green Wave are led by Hamish Stewart and Ewan Moore. In singles, Stewart ranks No. 35 in the nation and has a 12-7 record at No. 1 singles. He has earned a team-leading five ranked victories this season. Stewart and Moore rank No. 21 nationally in doubles and compiled a 12-6 record at No. 1 doubles this season. The duo claimed four victories versus ranked opponents while only losing once to a ranked doubles team.

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Middle Tennessee earned 17 victories this season in 24 matches. The Blue Raiders won their only regular season conference match and automatically qualified for the NCAA Team Championships by winning the Conference USA Championship. Notable accomplishments for the Blue Raiders this season include placing third at the ITA Kickoff Weekend Ohio State Regional (Jan. 22-23) and defeating No. 29 South Florida (4-3, March 28).

The Blue Raiders feature three ranked players. In singles, Francisco Rocha ranks No. 55 in the nation. Rocha earned a 13-5 singles record this season competing at No. 1, 2 and 3 Singles. Rocha qualified for the NCAA Team Championships as the highest ranked player in Conference USA. The Blue Raiders' No. 1 Doubles team of Pavel Motl and Stijn Slump rank No. 77 in the country. Motl and Slump had a 9-9 record this season and were 3-2 versus ranked opponents.

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

Finn Reynolds

Tim Sandkaulen

Nikola Slavic

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