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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
St. John's
No. 59 Men’s Tennis Readies for Pair of Early Season Challenges
3/1/2023 | Men's Tennis
Rebels to Host St. John’s on Thursday, No. 18 Mississippi State on Saturday
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NO. 59 OLE MISS (7-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. St. John's (9-3, 0-0 Big East) Thursday, Mar. 2 • 2 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. Palmer/Salloum Outdoor Tennis Center vs. No. 18 Mississippi State (11-1, 0-0 SEC) Saturday, Mar. 4 • 1 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. Palmer/Salloum Outdoor Tennis Center |
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Live Stats (St. John's) • Watch (St. John's)
Live Stats (Mississippi State) • Watch (Mississippi State) |
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OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss men's tennis returns for yet another busy weekend slate of matches in Oxford, with the Rebels lined up for a pair of matches March 2 and 4 against the likes of St. John's and Mississippi State.
The Rebels (7-2, 0-0 SEC) carry a four-match win streak into the tail end of the team's homestand, as the squad will play host to St. John's (9-3, 0-0 Big East) on Thursday beginning at 2 p.m. CT. Ole Miss will then turn around for the team's opening match of SEC play on Saturday with the Rebels hosting in-state rival and No. 18 ranked Mississippi State (11-1, 0-0 SEC) at 1 p.m. CT.
Weather permitting, both matches will be played at the Palmer/Salloum Outdoor Tennis Center. In the event of inclement weather or a drop in temperature, matches will be moved indoors to the William F. Galtney 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
For the first time of the 2023 spring season, Ole Miss men's tennis found itself ranked inside of ITA's Top 75 NCAA Team Rankings leading up to the team's slate of matches. The Rebels clocked in at No. 59 overall in the country, earning their first team ranking since the final ITA Top 75 rankings of the 2021-22 season last May. Rebel senior Nikola Slavic remains the lone Ole Miss men's tennis player to find a spot in the ITA rankings for singles play, with Slavic settling in the No. 68 position in the nation. With a record of 8-5 in 2022-23, the reigning ITA All-American is coming off of two ranked singles wins for the Rebels over the previous two matches. He sits tied with John Hallquist Lithen at a team-high three ranked wins on the season so far.
Strömberg Earns SEC Freshman of the Week Honors
Ole Miss freshman Isac Strömberg was recognized by the Southeastern Conference on Wednesday after being named SEC Freshman of the Week. Strömberg received the honor after finishing a perfect 3-0 in singles play last week for the Rebels, increasing his singles win streak up to four straight match wins for the Stockholm, Sweden, native. Strömberg started his week by earning back-to-back straight-set victories for the Rebels against Alabama State playing in the No. 5 singles position, marking his first time moving up from his usual No. 6 singles spot. The freshman then went on to earn a match-clinching singles win against No. 68 SMU in Court 6 singles, helping the Rebels move to 7-2 on the year and earning the team its first ranked team win of 2023.
Notching the First Ranked Win of 2023
The Rebels faced one of their most challenging matchups yet on Sunday with the team hosting No. 68 SMU for a non conference clash at William F. Galtney Tennis Center. Battling their way to a hard-fought doubles point fueled by a ranked doubles victory by Nikola Slavic and Lukas Engelhardt, the Rebels found their footing heading into singles action. With key wins by Engelhardt as well as John Hallquist Lithen, the Rebels turned to freshman Isac Strömberg to deal the winning blow to the Mustangs with a win in Court 6 singles. Senior Simon Junk added an exclamation mark to the Rebel victory with one last singles win for the squad, securing a 5-2 win for the team that helped propel Ole Miss up into the rankings for the first time in 2023.
Sweeping Through the Hornets
Ole Miss opened their previous weekend of action by hosting the Alabama State Hornets for a doubleheader on Friday, February 24 at the Galtney Tennis Center. Having to knock off some rust after a two-week break period for the team, the Rebels were able to get back into form with two 4-0 sweeps of ASU. Freshman Isac Strömberg led the charge for the Rebels in both matches, finishing 1-0 in doubles play while also being the only Rebel to win two singles matches on the day. Strömberg also played both of his matches in the No. 5 singles position, marking his first time playing above the No. 6 spot in his young career.
Rolling into SEC Play
The Rebels' match against Mississippi State on Saturday marks the first of 12 conference matchups for the squad in 2023, with six of those fixtures set to be played in Oxford. Following the team's non conference finale on Monday against Belmont, the Rebels will hit the road to Fayetteville before returning home March 16 to host Florida. This will then open up a three-match road spell for the team before the Rebels return to Oxford for four straight home matches, ending with Senior Day on April 9 against Texas A&M. The Rebels will then wrap up their regular season with two difficult road matchups against Tennessee and Georgia before heading into postseason play.
Team Profile: St. John's
The Red Storm (9-3, 0-0 Big East) are not an opponent to take lightly as the Rebels reach the final few matches of out-of-conference play for the spring season. Despite entering their matchup with Ole Miss having dropped back-to-back matches against ranked opponents in Penn State and Old Dominion, St. John's still holds an impressive nine wins collectively prior to taking on the Rebels on Thursday. While the Red Storm have featured a very diverse set of lineups over the opening 12 matches of their spring schedule, the team has found consistent success from the likes of Sergio Molina and Nishant Dabas in singles play. Molina enters the weekend with a dual singles record of 8-1 on the year playing primarily on Courts 1-3, while Dabas has found success playing in the No. 2-5 positions to garner a record of 9-1 on the year.
Team Profile: Mississippi State
Saturday's matchup with Mississippi State (11-1, 0-0 SEC) will prove to be the toughest one yet for the Rebels this season, as the Bulldogs come into Oxford holding a ranking of No. 18 in the country after starting their spring season with only one loss in their opening 12 matches. The Starkville side have clinched key victories over the likes of MTSU, SMU, Tulane and Florida State, while their lone loss came at the hands of SEC foe Florida by a score of 4-2 at their ITA Kickoff Regional. The Bulldogs are led by freshman standout Petar Jovanovic, who has led the team with a record of 11-1 in singles action playing primarily in either the No. 1 or No. 2 position. Mississippi State will also rely on their ranked doubles pairing of Carles Hernandez and Nemanja Malesevic, who enter their fixture with the Rebels ranked as the No. 33 doubles squad in the nation according to the ITA.
Team Promotion: Rebel Rewards Pickup/Greek Day
Fans that attend Thursday's St. John's match will be able to take advantage of a Rebel Rewards pickup, double Rebel Rewards points as well as being able to spin a wheel to win Ole Miss prizes. Saturday's match against Mississippi State will serve as Greek Day, in which fraternities and sororities here on campus are invited to attend the match to win premium prizes and take part in a Greek competition.
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.
