The University of Mississippi Athletics
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Men’s Tennis Continues Road Stretch with Matches Against Kentucky, Vanderbilt
3/23/2023 | Men's Tennis
Rebels Scheduled to Battle No. 6 Wildcats, No. 70 Commodores on March 24 and 26
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NO. 33 OLE MISS (12-4, 2-2 SEC) at No. 6 Kentucky (17-2, 5-1 SEC) Friday, Mar. 24 • 4 p.m. CT • Lexington, Ky. Boone Tennis Complex at No. 70 Vanderbilt (6-10, 1-4 SEC) Sunday, Mar. 26 • 12 p.m. CT • Nashville, Tenn. Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center |
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LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Ole Miss men's tennis team wraps up their road spell this weekend with the team traveling to a pair of difficult SEC matchups, as the Rebels are set to take on No. 6 Kentucky on March 24, followed by No. 70 Vanderbilt on March 26.
The Rebels (12-4, 2-2 SEC) will have a tough task to open their weekend on Thursday, as the team will open their weekend by taking on the defending national runners-up in Kentucky (17-2, 5-1 SEC) on the home courts in Lexington beginning at 4 p.m. CT. The team will then have to hit the road once again to travel to Nashville, as the Rebels will close out their weekend on Sunday with a clash against the No. 70 ranked Commodores (6-10, 1-4 SEC) with the match scheduled to start at 12 p.m. CT.
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
Ole Miss slotted into the No. 33 position in the latest ITA Team Rankings, falling three spots from their ranking of 30th just a week ago. Senior Nikola Slavic continues to climb his way up in the singles rankings, moving up to No. 66 in the nation behind his six-match win streak. In doubles, Slavic and partner Lukas Engelhardt round out the list of Rebels in the rankings by sitting as the No. 62 doubles team in the country. The pair hold a 9-3 record playing in Court 1 doubles together, including a 3-0 record against ranked doubles teams this season.
Slavic Stays Winning
Nikola Slavic continues a strong senior campaign in 2022-23 for the Rebels as he carries a six-match win streak in singles action into the team's clash with No. 6 Kentucky on Thursday. Boasting a record of 11-2 during the spring dual season, Slavic has been dominant for the team playing all of his matches in the No. 1 singles position. Slavic also sits tied for the team lead in ranked singles wins on the year, having won four to match teammate John Hallquist Lithen's 2022-23 total. The Stockholm, Sweden, native also holds a singles ranking of No. 66 in the country, continuing his streak of being ranked in the ITA's Top 100 in singles since March 24, 2021.
Court 1 Dream Team
Nikola Slavic and Lukas Engelhardt have been on a tear for the Rebels in the No. 1 doubles position, earning a 9-3 record when playing together in Court 1 doubles this year. With an overall record of 15-7 in 2022-23, the senior duo has yet to drop a ranked doubles matchup this season, going 3-0 to help the Ole Miss tandem slide into the No. 62 position in the latest ITA Doubles Rankings. While the pair is likely set to split up this weekend to help tackle a difficult Kentucky doubles lineup, the duo will still continue to pose a threat for the Rebels moving forward in the SEC season.
A Historic Streak for the Rebels
Prior to the team's loss to the Florida Gators last week, the team saw itself on a historic win streak, having won their previous nine straight dual matches. The streak stands as the longest streak for the Rebel squad since the 2008-09 season, in which Ole Miss strung together an unbelievable 20-match win streak en route to finishing 10-0 in SEC play, claiming both the SEC regular season and SEC tournament titles. That Rebel team's season would come to a close with a loss in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, ending the year with a 27-3 record overall on the year.
Team Profile: Kentucky
The Kentucky Wildcats (17-2, 5-1 SEC) stand as arguably the most difficult matchup of the Rebels' season thus far, as the defending national runners-up carry a five-match win streak into their tie with the Rebels on Thursday. So far on the 2022-23 season, Kentucky has only fallen to teams that reside in the Top 5 of ITA's Team Rankings, with the Wildcats having lost to current No. 1 TCU, 2-4, as well as No. 4 ranked South Carolina, 3-4. The Wildcat lineup is headlined by three ranked singles players, all of which are ranked in the Top 50 by ITA, as well as two doubles teams ranked in the Top 40. Leading the charge for Kentucky is Liam Draxl, who sits ranked No. 22 in the nation, serving as the No. 1 singles player for the UK team. Draxl stands as one of six Wildcats actively on a singles win streak of at least three matches, with Draxl having won his previous six.
Team Profile: Vanderbilt
The Vanderbilt Commodores (6-10, 1-4 SEC) currently sit right on the fringe of the ITA's latest team rankings, with the Commodores clocking in as the No. 70 team in the country. The Commodores were able to snap a three-match losing streak prior to their matchup with the Rebels, taking down Butler 4-3. While the squad has struggled in SEC play, the team is able to hang its hat on earning a hard-fought 4-2 win over then-No. 31 Arkansas, standing as the lone Commodore conference victory so far in 2023. Vanderbilt is also able to prop itself up on its star doubles pairing of Jeremie Casabon and Siim Troost, who stand ranked as the No. 35 doubles team in the nation. With a record of 12-4 on the year and 5-2 in dual matches, the duo has been a bright spot for a Vanderbilt team that has only won two doubles points in SEC play this season.
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
