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Men’s Tennis to Host Alabama, Texas A&M for Final Two Home Matches
4/6/2023 | Men's Tennis
The Rebels Wrap Up Their Home Schedule with Matches on April 7 and 9
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NO. 29 OLE MISS (14-6, 4-4 SEC) vs. No. 56 Alabama (9-13, 1-8 SEC) Friday, Apr. 7 • 3 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center vs. No. 21 Texas A&M (13-8, 5-3 SEC) Sunday, Apr. 9 • 1 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center |
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OXFORD, Miss. – The No. 29 Ole Miss men's tennis team is set to close out its home schedule this weekend in Oxford, hosting a pair of matches against Alabama and Texas A&M.
The Rebels (14-6, 4-4 SEC) will open the weekend by playing No. 56 Alabama (9-13, 1-8 SEC) on Friday, April 7. This match is set to take place at 3 p.m. CT. Ole Miss will host the team's final regular season home match of the season at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, April 9, against No. 21 Texas A&M (13-8, 5-3 SEC).
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
The Rebels jumped up into a new season-best ranking of No. 29 in the country in the latest ITA Team Rankings, climbing three spots from their ranking of No. 32 a week ago. Senior Nikola Slavic continues to climb his way up the singles rankings, as another ranked win puts the Stockholm, Sweden, native up into the No. 60 singles position. He and teammate Lukas Engelhardt remain ranked in doubles, as the duo moved up to No. 52 in the ITA Doubles Rankings. The doubles team of Simon Junk and John Hallquist Lithen rounded out the week of rankings for the Rebels by making their ranking debut of 2022-23, as the pair grabbed the No. 90 spot following a ranked doubles win over LSU last weekend.
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. 52 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 Rebels' loss to the Florida Gators earlier in the season, 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 enroute 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.
ITA Regional Revenge
The recently-ranked doubles duo of Simon Junk and John Hallquist Lithen had a little taste of revenge in Court 1 doubles this past Sunday against LSU, as the pair knocked off the No. 48 doubles team in the nation in Stefan Latinovic and Nick Watson by a score of 7-6(5). This is the second time the doubles teams have met in the 2022-23 season, as it was a rematch of the 2022 ITA Southern Regional Championship match from the fall season. In the first meeting, the Tiger duo was able to take a third-set super tiebreak victory over Junk and Lithen to claim the regional title. This time, however, Junk and Lithen came out on top to avenge their championship defeat and earn their first doubles ranking of the season.
Thank You, Simon
Sunday's match against the Texas A&M Aggies will serve as a send-off for the Rebels' lone senior, Simon Junk. Junk is wrapping up what has been his fifth season with Ole Miss men's tennis, having taken his fifth year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Junk has cemented himself as an all-time great player and person within the Ole Miss men's tennis team, ranking in the Top 20 in all-time singles and doubles wins for the program along with being an avid participant in community service initiatives within the community. Junk is set to earn his master's in accountancy and data analytics from Ole Miss later this summer, having graduated Magna Cum Laude last May with his bachelor's in accountancy.
The Season: Coming Soon
Later this month, fans will have the opportunity to relive the team's thrilling 6-1 victory over the LSU from last Sunday, as The Season is set to air an episode on the Ole Miss men's tennis team and their match against the Tigers. Beyond watching the ranked Rebel victory, fans will have the opportunity to see Ole Miss men's tennis off the court as the team volunteers in the community, has a team meal, and hosts the annual Rebel Kids Clinic. The episode will premiere later this April, with an official release date yet to be announced.
Team Profile: Alabama
The Alabama Crimson Tide (9-13, 1-8 SEC) enter their match with the Rebels looking to snap a six-match losing skid for the squad dating back to their 5-2 loss to Tennessee on March 16. The Crimson Tide are looking to return to the form they had earlier in the spring season, where Alabama started their year 5-0 in non conference play along with tallying a ranked SEC victory over the Florida Gators, 4-3. Alabama is led by sophomore Filip Planinsek, who is the lone member of the Tide to be ranked in both singles (No. 76) and doubles (No. 78) coming into the match against Ole Miss. Planinsek has found a 10-5 record when playing in the No. 1 singles position for the Tide, including earning four ranked singles wins on the year.
Team Profile: Texas A&M
Texas A&M (13-8, 5-3 SEC) will be a difficult challenge for the Rebels to cap off their home season on Sunday, as the Aggies currently rank No. 21 in the nation prior to this weekend's slate of matches. The Aggies have notched a trio of Top 25 wins in 2022-23 so far, taking down Pepperdine, Mississippi State and Florida over the course of the spring season. The Aggies are headlined by four ranked singles players as well as the No. 40 doubles team in Noah Schachter and Trey Hilderbrand. Schachter, a senior in the Aggie lineup, also is the highest ranking singles player for the A&M squad at No. 41 in the nation. The Florida native currently holds a 9-6 record when playing in the No. 1 singles position for Texas A&M, as well as holding a record of 12-7 as a member of the team's Court 1 doubles pairing.
Team Promotions: Crawfish Boil and Senior Day
Fans that attend Friday's match against the Crimson Tide will be able to take advantage of a crawfish boil at Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. Sunday's match will serve as Senior Day for the Rebels, as Simon Junk will be honored prior to the match. Fans will also be able to take part in an Easter egg hunt.
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.
