The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Florida
Men’s Tennis Prepared for Pair of Top 30 Matchups
3/15/2023 | Men's Tennis
Rebels to Host Florida March 16, Travel to Auburn March 18 for SEC Clashes
 |
NO. 30 OLE MISS (12-2, 2-0 SEC) vs. No. 26 Florida (6-7, 1-2 SEC) Thursday, Mar. 16 • 3 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. Palmer/Salloum Outdoor Tennis Center at No. 22 Auburn (11-5, 1-2 SEC) Saturday, Mar. 18 • 1 p.m. CT • Auburn, Ala. Yarbrough Tennis Center |
  |
||||||
OXFORD, Miss. – The red-hot Ole Miss men's tennis team carries a nine-match win streak into yet another slate of SEC matches on the week, with the Rebels set to take on a difficult gauntlet with matches against No. 26 Florida and No. 22 Auburn.
The No. 30 Rebels (12-2, 2-0 SEC) will start their week off by hosting the No. 26 Florida Gators (6-7, 1-2 SEC) in Oxford, before hitting the road once again to travel to Alabama to take on the No. 22 Auburn Tigers (11-5, 1-2 SEC). The road fixture marks the first of three straight road matchups for the Rebels.
Home matches for the Rebels are to be played at Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center, weather permitting. 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
After carrying on the team's now nine-match win streak dating back to February 5, the Rebels' continued to climb up in the latest ITA Team Rankings, with the Rebels settling into the No. 30 spot in the country. Senior Nikola Slavic remains the lone Rebel to hold any individual ranking, with Slavic coming in at No. 69 in the ITA Singles Rankings for the week.
Winning Their Way to History
Following their most recent win over No. 44 Arkansas, the Rebels officially increased the team's win streak up to nine consecutive match victories. The win streak, which dates back to the team's 5-2 win over Tulane on February 5, not only stands as the longest active win streak in the SEC, but also stands as the Rebels' longest win streak since the 2008-09 season. That year, the Rebels would win their way to a program record 20 straight victories, sweeping through conference play to earn SEC regular season and SEC Tournament victories. The Rebel squad finished their year a staggering 27-3 overall, ultimately seeing their season come to an end in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
Red-Hot Lithen Leads the Rebel Charge
Junior John Hallquist Lithen has led the way for the Rebels over the team's stellar win streak, posting an eight-match win streak of his own in singles action. Lithen, who leads the team in both total singles wins (18) and ranked singles wins (4) in the 2022-23 season, helped the Rebels secure two ranked victories on the year, earning the match-clinching victories over No. 18 Mississippi State and No. 44 Arkansas in Court 2 singles. The Gothenburg, Sweden, native has now been the clinching singles win six times for the Rebels this season, while also holding a near-perfect 10-1 record for the team in dual singles action.
We've Got the Junk
Senior Simon Junk continues to climb up the Ole Miss all-time record book when it comes to singles and doubles victories, as the Marpingen, Germany, native now sits in the top 20 of both lists for the Rebels. Junk currently sits tied for 17th in all-time singles wins, having compiled 74 over his now five-year playing career with the Rebels. The senior also ranks 18th in career doubles wins for Ole Miss with a total of 60. Junk is currently one of just seven Rebels in team history to reside in the top 20 of both the all-time singles and all-time doubles lists for the team.
Team Profile: Florida
Despite the Gators (6-7, 1-2 SEC) sporting a below .500 record on the 2022-23 season, the No. 26 team in the nation will still pose a major threat to the Rebel lineup with the Gators being battle-tested through non-conference play. 11 of the team's 13 matchups this spring have been against ranked opponents, as the Gators have already gotten plenty of experience under their belts despite a roster that features six underclassmen, five of which are freshmen. A total of four Gators currently reside in the ITA Top 125 Singles Rankings, while the team also boasts the No. 18 and No. 19 ranked doubles pairings in the country.
Team Profile: Auburn
The Tigers (11-5, 1-2 SEC) mark the second straight Top 30 opponent for the Rebels, as Auburn is set to play host to the Rebels at Yarbrough Tennis Center. While the Tigers have been on a three-match skid after an 11-2 start to their season, the team has faced a difficult schedule that has included playing seven consecutive matches against teams ranked in the Top 50, with that streak increasing to nine after matches against No. 6 Kentucky and the No. 30 Rebels this weekend. The team is led by two ranked doubles pairings in Raul Dobai/Finn Murgett and Jan Galka/Alberto Moreno, who are ranked as the No. 33 and No. 65 doubles teams in the country, respectively.
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
