OXFORD, Miss. – The No. 2 nationally ranked Ole Miss men’s tennis team finished the 2009 season atop the second annual ITA Attendance Race standings for regular season home matches. Ole Miss drew 5,550 fans to its matches this season at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center and Gillom Sports Center.

The Rebels had a strong finish, fighting off 2008 Attendance Race champs, Virginia, and Georgia, each of which drew in over 5,000 fans this season.

“We want to take this opportunity to thank our fans,” head coach Billy Chadwick said.  “We have the best fans in the country and to lead the nation in attendance is a tribute to the spirit of Ole Miss.”

Ole Miss also finished atop the race standings in average attendance. The Rebels drew an average of 617 fans for its nine home matches. The Rebels were also able to post five of the top eight single match totals on the season.

The SEC Champion Rebels advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen and will face Texas A&M Thursday at 6 p.m.

OVERALL ATTENDANCE
1. Ole Miss: 5,550
2. Virginia: 5,325
3. Georgia: 5,076
4. Texas A&M: 4,548
5. Tulsa: 4,175

OVERALL AVERAGE ATTENDANCE
1. Ole Miss: 617
2. Texas A&M: 455
3. Georgia: 390.5
4. Virginia: 332.8
5. Mississippi State: 266

OVERALL SINGLE MATCH
1. Texas Tech at Texas A&M: 1,089 (4/3/09)
2. Tennessee at Georgia: 1,060 (4/18/09)
3. Kentucky at Ole Miss: 922 (4/3/09)
4. Vanderbilt at Ole Miss: 907 (4/5/09)
5. Georgia at Ole Miss: 835 (3/6/09)
6. Tennessee at Ole Miss: 810 (3/8/09)
7. Texas A&M at Baylor: 764 (4/8/09)
8. Kentucky at Ole Miss: 707 (1/31/09)