Ole Miss Team Page
OXFORD, Miss. – After a fun and victorious week in Hawaii, the No. 25 ranked Ole Miss women’s tennis team returns home to host Jackson State in a doubleheader Saturday at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. The first match begins at 11 a.m. with the second one to follow.
“We had a great trip to Hawaii,” said head coach Mark Beyers. “It was a good chance for us to spend a lot of quality time together as a team. We had great practices and we won both of our matches. We would love for the fans coming to town for the men’s basketball game to come on over and check out some tennis. This is going to be a fun team to watch this year.”
Scouting Jackson State …
Jackson State earned their first NCAA appearance in 2014 since 2009. They opened the 2015 season with a 7-0 loss at Mississippi State last weekend. The Tigers are led by Anastasia Zviahintseva. The Rebels swept JSU 7-0 last year to open the season.
Live Coverage …
If you can’t make it to the match on Saturday, you can follow along in the live blog on OleMissSports.com as well as live scoring.
Recapping Hawaii Trip …
Ole Miss opened the season in the Aloha State and after hiking Diamond Head, enjoying some beach time and touring Pearl Harbor, the Rebels picked up two convincing wins against the University of Hawaii (6-0) and No. 43 Washington (6-1).
Jones Earns SECs Top Honor …
Senior Julia Jones was recognized as the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Wednesday. She went 3-0 in singles and doubles to lead the Rebels to a 2-0 start and dropped only seven games in both matches to improve to 12-3 overall. Jones defeated 90th-ranked Elianne Douglas-Miron 6-1, 6-1 for her eighth ranked win of the year and the 85th of her career.
The 100 Watch …
Entering this weekend, senior Julia Jones needs just 15 wins to become the fifth player in program history to join the 100-club in singles. She currently has 85 wins.
Senior Trio to Lead Rebels ...
Four years ago, Julia Jones, Erin Stephens and Iris Verboven came in together as freshmen on a Rebel squad that was experienced with three seniors, including current volunteer assistant Kristi Boxx. Now, it's Jones, Stephens and Verboven's turn to lead.
Fab Frosh …
Freshman Arianne Hartono begins the spring as the fourth highest ranked freshman in the country at No. 33. She posted a 9-4 record in the fall and captured the Country Club of Little Rock Invitational. Hartono, who went 3-0 in Hawaii, also teams up with Mai El Kamash for a ranking of No. 45 in doubles. The Rebels’ other freshman, Natalie Suk, is ranked No. 56 in doubles with sophomore Zalina Khairudinova. Suk won both her singles matches in Hawaii and teamed up with Julia Jones for a win at No. 2 doubles.
Tough Schedule Awaits …
The Rebels will face eight teams ranked in the top 25 and 14 in the top 50 this season. Two teams in the top 10 will visit Oxford this year, No. 8 Alabama and No. 10 Texas A&M. Following Saturday’s match, the Rebels will hit the road for a tough slate beginning with a match at No. 19 Oklahoma State on Jan. 31.
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.
