The University of Mississippi Athletics
Thursday, November 6
Nashville, Tenn.
TBD
Ole Miss
vs
Vanderbilt Invitaional
Women’s Tennis to Compete in Pair of Weekend Tournaments
11/5/2025 | Women's Tennis
Oxford, Miss. – Ole Miss women's tennis will send four Rebels to compete in a pair of tournaments from Nov. 6 – 9.
Emily Welker will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the ITA Sectional Championships. The event, hosted by LSU, is one of four ITA Sectionals across the country. Six players from each sectional will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship. Welker will face off against Elim Yan of Tennessee in the first round on Thursday.
Riley Crowder, Andrea Nova, and Brooklyn Olson will compete in another tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, which is the June Stewart Invitational hosted by Vanderbilt University.
THE REBELS
Riley Crowder(Fr.) – Dothan, Alabama
- No. 1 recruit out of Alabama in 2025 class
- Won 11 Junior ITF events, three of which in singles, from 2022-24
- 2022 USTA Alabama State Junior and Southern Junior Player of the Year
- Ranked as high No. 167 in the ITF World Junior circuit
Andrea Nova (Jr.) – Prague, Czechia
- Went 13-12 in singles and 12-14 in doubles during her sophomore campaign
- Helped the Rebels reach the 2025 NCAA Tournament
- Shifted between the fourth, fifth and sixth court in 2025
Brooklyn Olson(So.) – Kansas City, Kansas
- Went 5-5 in singles, including a 4-0 dual record, and 13-17 overall doubles record
- Blue Chip five-star recruit
- Reached Sweet 16 of the Les Petits As Junior Tournament in 2020
Emily Welker (Gr.) – Limbach-Oberfrohna, Saxony, Germany
- Ranked No. 67 in ITA singles preseason rankings for the 2025-26 season
- Ranked as high as No. 83 in the ITA singles rankings in the spring of 2025
- Had two wins against nationally ranked opponents, including Florida's No. 27 Rachel Gailis
- Played mostly on court one in singles, claiming four wins
ITA Sectionals Field
Auburn
Florida
Florida State
Georgia
Georgia Tech
Kentucky
LSU
Miami (FL)
Mississippi State
Ole Miss
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
ITA Sectionals Ranked Singles Participants
1 – DJ Bennett, Auburn
16 – Scarlett Niccholson, Georgia Tech
19 – Catherine Aulia, Tennessee
20 – Zoe Hammond, Kentucky
34 – Leyla Britez Risso, Tennessee
45 – Valeria Ray, Vanderbilt
54 – Alejandra Cruz, Georgia Tech
56 – Gianna Oboniye, Mississippi State
57 – Julia Zhu, Kentucky
55 – Gabia Paskauskas, Florida
69 – Raquel Gonzalez, Miami
100 – Sofia Rojas, Georgia
110 – Patricija Paukstyte, Georgia
119 – Valery Gynina, Florida
121 – Vanesa Suarez, Tennessee
June Stewart Invitational Field
Vanderbilt
Purdue
Ole Miss
Lipscomb
Kentucky
RETURNING REBELS
After graduating four seniors from the previous year's team, all five remaining players will remain at Ole Miss for the 2025-26 campaign. This season marks Emma Kette's fourth year with the program, as well as Andrea Nova's third year. Among those returning from last season, Nova leads with 13 wins this past spring. Emily Welker started a majority of matches at court 1 for the Rebels in 2025. Alice Soulié led the team with nine conference wins this past season.
FRESH FACES
The Rebels brought in three freshmen this offseason to round out the remainder of the roster. Riley Crowder joins the team as the No. 1 recruit coming out of Alabama this past recruiting cycle. Additionally, Owen Wilkinson will come in as the No. 1 recruit coming out of Mississippi, boasting two MHSAA Class 6A titles in girls' singles at nearby Oxford High School. Ichino Horikawa comes to Ole Miss by way of Japan after posting a career-high ITF Junior ranking of No. 173.
FALL SCHEDULE
ITA Sectionals – Nov. 6-9 – Baton Rouge, La.
Vanderbilt Invite – Nov. 6-9 – Nashville, Tenn.
ITF W 15 – Nov. 10-16 – Clemson, S.C.
FOLLOW THE REBELS ON SOCIAL
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWTennis, on Facebook at OleMissWTennis and on Instagram at OleMissWTennis. Also, follow Coach Roberts on Twitter, @gdrob91.
Emily Welker will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the ITA Sectional Championships. The event, hosted by LSU, is one of four ITA Sectionals across the country. Six players from each sectional will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship. Welker will face off against Elim Yan of Tennessee in the first round on Thursday.
Riley Crowder, Andrea Nova, and Brooklyn Olson will compete in another tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, which is the June Stewart Invitational hosted by Vanderbilt University.
THE REBELS
Riley Crowder(Fr.) – Dothan, Alabama
- No. 1 recruit out of Alabama in 2025 class
- Won 11 Junior ITF events, three of which in singles, from 2022-24
- 2022 USTA Alabama State Junior and Southern Junior Player of the Year
- Ranked as high No. 167 in the ITF World Junior circuit
Andrea Nova (Jr.) – Prague, Czechia
- Went 13-12 in singles and 12-14 in doubles during her sophomore campaign
- Helped the Rebels reach the 2025 NCAA Tournament
- Shifted between the fourth, fifth and sixth court in 2025
Brooklyn Olson(So.) – Kansas City, Kansas
- Went 5-5 in singles, including a 4-0 dual record, and 13-17 overall doubles record
- Blue Chip five-star recruit
- Reached Sweet 16 of the Les Petits As Junior Tournament in 2020
Emily Welker (Gr.) – Limbach-Oberfrohna, Saxony, Germany
- Ranked No. 67 in ITA singles preseason rankings for the 2025-26 season
- Ranked as high as No. 83 in the ITA singles rankings in the spring of 2025
- Had two wins against nationally ranked opponents, including Florida's No. 27 Rachel Gailis
- Played mostly on court one in singles, claiming four wins
ITA Sectionals Field
Auburn
Florida
Florida State
Georgia
Georgia Tech
Kentucky
LSU
Miami (FL)
Mississippi State
Ole Miss
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
ITA Sectionals Ranked Singles Participants
1 – DJ Bennett, Auburn
16 – Scarlett Niccholson, Georgia Tech
19 – Catherine Aulia, Tennessee
20 – Zoe Hammond, Kentucky
34 – Leyla Britez Risso, Tennessee
45 – Valeria Ray, Vanderbilt
54 – Alejandra Cruz, Georgia Tech
56 – Gianna Oboniye, Mississippi State
57 – Julia Zhu, Kentucky
55 – Gabia Paskauskas, Florida
69 – Raquel Gonzalez, Miami
100 – Sofia Rojas, Georgia
110 – Patricija Paukstyte, Georgia
119 – Valery Gynina, Florida
121 – Vanesa Suarez, Tennessee
June Stewart Invitational Field
Vanderbilt
Purdue
Ole Miss
Lipscomb
Kentucky
RETURNING REBELS
After graduating four seniors from the previous year's team, all five remaining players will remain at Ole Miss for the 2025-26 campaign. This season marks Emma Kette's fourth year with the program, as well as Andrea Nova's third year. Among those returning from last season, Nova leads with 13 wins this past spring. Emily Welker started a majority of matches at court 1 for the Rebels in 2025. Alice Soulié led the team with nine conference wins this past season.
FRESH FACES
The Rebels brought in three freshmen this offseason to round out the remainder of the roster. Riley Crowder joins the team as the No. 1 recruit coming out of Alabama this past recruiting cycle. Additionally, Owen Wilkinson will come in as the No. 1 recruit coming out of Mississippi, boasting two MHSAA Class 6A titles in girls' singles at nearby Oxford High School. Ichino Horikawa comes to Ole Miss by way of Japan after posting a career-high ITF Junior ranking of No. 173.
FALL SCHEDULE
ITA Sectionals – Nov. 6-9 – Baton Rouge, La.
Vanderbilt Invite – Nov. 6-9 – Nashville, Tenn.
ITF W 15 – Nov. 10-16 – Clemson, S.C.
FOLLOW THE REBELS ON SOCIAL
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWTennis, on Facebook at OleMissWTennis and on Instagram at OleMissWTennis. Also, follow Coach Roberts on Twitter, @gdrob91.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
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/ Women's Tennis
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