Men’s Tennis Returns Home for Pair of Non-Conference Matchups

			OLE MISS (3-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Columbia (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League) Friday, Feb. 3 • 5 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center vs. Tulane (1-0, 0-0 AAC) Sunday, Feb. 5 • 1 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center
Live Stats (Columbia) • Watch (Columbia) • Live Stats (Tulane) • Watch (Tulane)

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss men's tennis returns to Oxford to kick off what will be an eight-match homestand for the Rebels starting with matches against Columbia and Tulane on February 3 and 5.

The Rebels (3-1) will open their weekend with a 5 p.m. match on Friday against No. 19 ranked Columbia (1-1) before returning to action on Sunday for a 1 p.m. matchup with Tulane (1-0). Both matches are set to be played at William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center.

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.

Schlagenhauf Remains Perfect

Freshman Noah Schlagenhauf continues to showcase a strong start to his rookie campaign with the Rebels, earning wins in each of his first four singles matches of the spring season. Additionally, Schlagenhauf remains a perfect 2-0 in doubles action this season having grabbed a pair of victories alongside fellow freshman Isac Strömberg in the No. 3 doubles position. Schlagenhauf is now the first Rebel player since 2019 to win his first four collegiate dual singles matches with the team. With straight-set wins in all four of his singles matches this year, Schlagenhauf still has yet to drop a set of collegiate tennis.

Rebels Return from ITA Kickoff Weekend

Ole Miss returns to Oxford after splitting a pair of matches at the always challenging ITA Kickoff Weekend. Hosted at the University of Virginia, the Rebels' group provided a pair of early tests to open their spring dual season. To open the weekend the Rebels matched up with a young Princeton team that was ready for the challenge, as the Tigers were able to secure a 4-1 win to advance to the next round of the weekend. Moving to the consolation bracket, the Rebels still faced a difficult Sunday matchup against reigning Mountain West champions, Nevada. Rallying behind strong doubles play to open the match, the Rebels pushed their way to a 4-0 sweep of the Wolfpack to ultimately split the weekend's matches while also notching an important victory over a 2022 tournament team in Nevada.

Team Profile: Columbia

Entering their contest with the Rebels ranked as the No. 19 team in the nation, Columbia stands as yet another difficult trial for Ole Miss in the early stages of the 2023 season. Coming in with a total of four ranked singles players as well as the No. 15 doubles pairing in the nation, the Lions come to Oxford with a chip on their shoulder after suffering their first loss of the year in their ITA Kickoff matchup with their Ivy League rival in Harvard. Leading the way for Columbia on the singles courts is freshman Michael Zheng, who holds an impressive 13-4 record as a rookie for the Lions, skyrocketing up ITA's rankings to sit as the No. 11 singles player in the nation. The Lions roster is bolstered by three other ranked singles players, with Roko Horvat (No. 33), Alex Kotzen (No. 49) and Max Westphal (No. 64) all currently being ranked. Westphal also sits ranked No. 15 in the nation in doubles alongside teammate Theo Winegar.

Team Profile: Tulane

The Tulane men's tennis team will prove to be the second test of the weekend for Ole Miss, as the undefeated Green Wave travel to Oxford looking to carry their momentum from a 6-1 victory over Furman in New Orleans. Headlining the Tulane roster is junior Fynn Kuenkler, as the Bielefeld, Germany, native currently sits ranked No. 87 in the country in singles by the ITA playing in the team's No. 1 singles position. The last time the Rebels met the Green Wave was when the teams squared off in a NCAA Second Round matchup on May 9, 2021. A freshman at the time, Kuenkler dropped both his singles and doubles matches to the Rebels enroute to an Ole Miss 4-0 sweep to advance to the Sweet 16.

Team Promotions: Doormat Giveaway and International Student Day

Fans who attend Friday's matchup between the Rebels and Columbia will be able to pick up their very own Ole Miss doormat upon their arrival at William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center. Sunday's match against Tulane will serve as International Student Day, with snacks from various countries being provided to those in attendance.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Noah Schlagenhauf

Nikola Slavic

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