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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Princeton
Men’s Tennis Readies for ITA Kickoff Weekend in Charlottesville
1/27/2023 | Men's Tennis
Rebels Look to Punch Their Ticket into the ITA National Indoor Championships
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OLE MISS (2-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Princeton (0-2, 0-0 Ivy League) Saturday, Jan. 28 • 8:00 a.m. CT • Charlottesville, Va. Boar's Head Sports Club |
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Ole Miss men's tennis will take their talents to Charlottesville, Virginia, this weekend for the annual ITA Kickoff Weekend hosted by the University of Virginia from January 28-29.
The Rebels will open their weekend with an Ivy League test against Princeton (0-2) at 8 a.m. CT on Saturday. They will then await the result of Saturday's second match between No. 1 ranked Virginia (4-0) and Nevada (0-1) to find out their opponent and match time for Sunday's finale.
A Rebel win over Princeton will result in them playing the winner of Virginia/Nevada at 12 p.m. on Sunday to determine who will be advancing to the ITA National Indoor Championships, which are set to run Feb. 17-20 in Champagne, Illinois. A loss to Princeton and the Rebels will clash with the loser of Virginia/Nevada at 9 a.m. on Sunday in a consolation match.
Live scoring and live video for both matches will be available to the public. Links to both can be found above as well as on the Ole Miss men's tennis schedule page.
Rebels in the Rankings
A pair of Rebels entered the spring season holding ITA singles rankings, as John Hallquist Lithen and Nikola Slavic both cracked the ITA's Top 100 at the conclusion of the fall season. Lithen leads the way for the Rebels, with a singles record of 7-3 including three ranked victories propelling him up into the No. 82. Slavic, a defending 2022 ITA All-American, follows closely behind Lithen, slotting in at No. 99 in the country after going 4-4 in singles play for the fall season.
Opening the Year with a Pair of Sweeps
Ole Miss was able to open their season with a bang last Saturday as the team hosted Tennessee State for a season-opening doubleheader that pitted the Rebels in their first dual matches of the year. Behind strong play from veterans such as Nikola Slavic and John Hallquist Lithen, the Rebels were able to sweep their way to back-to-back 7-0 victories over the Tigers. Ole Miss finished the day a perfect 18-0 across doubles and singles play against TSU, including earning straight-set victories in 11 of the team's 12 singles wins.
Fresh Faces Make Their Rebel Debut
Two Rebel freshmen saw their collegiate debuts in the team's season-opening doubleheader a week ago, as Noah Schlagenhauf and Isac Strömberg kicked off their careers at Ole Miss with perfect marks in singles and doubles. Playing as a doubles team, the pair of rookies made quick work of their No. 3 doubles matchups by earning 6-2 and 6-0 results to finish 2-0 as a duo. Schlagenhauf and Strömberg carried their momentum right into singles play, as each freshman finished 2-0 playing in the No. 5 and No. 6 singles positions.
Team Profile: Princeton
The Princeton Tigers enter their clash with the Rebels sitting 0-2 to start 2023 following a pair of tightly contested matches to open the year. The Tigers kicked their season off by dropping a neutral site matchup against DePaul 5-2, before dropping a 4-3 heartbreaker to Wisconsin on their home court. The Tigers are headlined by two young freshmen in Fnu Nidunjianzan and Sebastian Sec, who will more than likely make up two of the team's top three singles players on the weekend. The rookie duo has already compiled a combined 17 wins in singles action in the 2022-23 season, with Nidunjianzan also having the team's lone ranked singles victory of the year.
Team Profile: Virginia
Entering the weekend as the No. 1 ranked team in the ITA's latest rankings, the defending national champion Virginia Cavaliers (4-0) will play host to the ITA Kickoff Weekend regional this weekend after receiving the top seed of the tournament this summer. Coming off of a 4-0 sweep of No. 11 Baylor in Charlottesville, the Cavaliers carry a 27-match win streak into the weekend dating back to February 19, 2022. The Cavalier lineup features three individuals ranked within ITA's Top 50 in singles play, including No. 27 ranked Chris Rodesch. Rodesch finds himself ranked in doubles according to the ITA, holding the No. 17 spot in the latest ITA doubles rankings alongside teammate Ryan Goetz.
Team Profile: Nevada
The Nevada Wolfpack (0-1) come into ITA Kickoff weekend coming off of a season-opening 3-4 loss to UC San Diego in California. The defending 2022 Mountain West champions will be looking to build off of an impressive 2021-22 season, where the Wolfpack finished 19-8 and earned their spot in the NCAA Team Tournament for the first time in program history. The team was able to return all four of their All-Mountain West Team selections from the previous year, including the No. 2 doubles pairing of Satchel Benn and Loris Zisswiller.
Follow the Rebels on Social
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.
Players Mentioned
