The University of Mississippi Athletics
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South Carolina
Men’s Tennis Set for Home Matches Against South Carolina, LSU
3/30/2023 | Men's Tennis
Rebels to Play No. 6 Gamecocks on March 31, No. 44 Tigers on April 2 in Oxford
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NO. 32 OLE MISS (13-5, 3-3 SEC) vs. No. 6 South Carolina (16-3, 5-2 SEC) Friday, Mar. 31 • 12 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center vs. No. 44 LSU (10-7, 1-6 SEC) Sunday, Apr. 2 • 1 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center |
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OXFORD, Miss. – A busy weekend awaits the Ole Miss men's tennis team in Oxford, as the Rebels are set to host two Top 50 SEC foes as the team heads into its final month of the regular season.
The No. 32 Rebels (13-5, 3-3 SEC) will open their weekend with a challenging matchup against No. 6 South Carolina (16-3, 5-2 SEC), with the Gamecocks set to face off against Ole Miss at 12 p.m. CT on Friday, March 31. The Rebels will then have a day off to prepare for their match on Sunday, April 2, with the team squaring off against No. 44 LSU (10-7, 1-6 SEC) at 1 p.m. CT.
Both matches are set 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
Ole Miss moved up into the No. 32 position in the latest ITA Team Rankings, climbing one spot from their ranking of No. 33 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. 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.
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, the duo will still continue to pose a threat for the Rebels moving forward in the SEC season on their respective doubles courts.
A Historic Streak for the Rebels
Prior to the team's loss to the Florida Gators two weeks ago, 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.
The Final Push
The Rebels are reaching their final few matches of the 2022-23 season, with this weekend's slate marking the first of their final six matches of the year. The team will have another pair of home matches to close out their season in Oxford next weekend, hosting Alabama at 3 p.m. CT on Friday, April 7, followed by the team's final home match on Sunday, April 9, against Texas A&M at 1 p.m. CT. This match will serve as the team's Senior Day. The Rebels will then close out their 2022-23 regular season schedule with two road matches on April 14 against Tennessee and April 16 against Georgia.
Team Profile: South Carolina
South Carolina (16-3, 5-2 SEC) comes to Oxford ranked as the No. 6 team in the nation, though the Gamecocks have seen losses in two of their past three matches. The USC squad is a talented one, having earned Top 10 victories over the likes of Wake Forest, Baylor, Kentucky and Ohio State this season. The Gamecocks lineup features a total of four ranked singles players, two of which are currently ranked in the ITA's Top 10 in Toby Samuel (No. 3) and Connor Thomson (No. 8). The doubles teams for South Carolina are also impressive with the Gamecocks having two ranked doubles pairings including the No. 1 ranked doubles team in the country, Toby Samuel and Connor Thomson. The duo of Samuel and Thomson has combined for a singles record of 47-9 with a total of 17 ranked singles victories between the two of them, while the pair also holds a record of 19-1 when playing doubles together this season, tallying nine ranked doubles victories in 2022-23.
Team Profile: LSU
The No. 44 LSU Tigers (10-7, 1-6 SEC) come into Oxford with some momentum, having won their previous two matches against Alabama and Alcorn State. Prior to the win over the Crimson Tide, the LSU team was struggling to find its footing in SEC play, losing their first six matches of conference tennis to open the year. The LSU side has seen some close defeats to high-caliber opponents recently, dropping their match against then-No. 2 South Carolina 3-4 before losing to then-No. 7 Georgia 2-5. Junior Ronnie Hohmann leads the charge for the Tigers in singles, as he currently ranks No. 58 in the nation with a record of 12-9 this year while serving as the No. 1 singles player in the team's lineup. The Tigers also feature the No. 48 doubles pairing in Stefan Latinovic and Nick Watson, who have a record of 15-9 when playing together this year.
Team Promotions: Kids Club Day and Powder Blue Day
The Rebels' Friday match against the Gamecocks will serve as a Rebel Kids Club Day, as the team will be slated to host its annual tennis clinic following their match against South Carolina, along with there being an ice cream giveaway. Sunday's match against LSU will be a powder blue-out, in which fans are encouraged to wear powder blue to support the Rebels. Powder blue pom poms will also be given out to fans in attendance. Sunday's match against the Tigers will also be filmed for the team's upcoming episode of The 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
