OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss men’s tennis (4-0, 0-0 SEC) will take their talents to Boston, Massachusetts, this weekend for the annual ITA Kickoff Weekend hosted by Harvard University from Jan. 27-28.
The Rebels will open their weekend against Northwestern (0-3, 0-0 Big 10) at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday. They will the play the winner of Saturday’s first match between No. 15 Harvard (2-1, 0-0 Ivy League) and UCLA (0-1, 0-0 PAC 12) to find out their opponent and match time for Sunday’s finale.
An Ole Miss win over Northwestern will result in them playing the winner of Harvard/UCLA at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday to determine who will be advancing to the ITA National Indoor Championships, which are set to run Feb. 16-19 in Queens, New York. A loss to the Wildcats and the Rebels will clash with the loser of Harvard/UCLA at 9 a.m. CT on Sunday in a consolation match.
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
Senior Nikola Slavic enters the spring season in the ITA’s Top 100 of the singles rankings. Slavic leads the way for the Rebels, with an overall singles record of 9-2 (4-0 in dual matches) including a ranked victory propelling him up into the No. 99 spot.
Winning Feels So Sweep
The Rebels commenced the 2024 spring season with a bang as they won all four of their matches in sweeping fashion. This is the first time since 2019 that Ole Miss has accomplished this feat. In the first doubleheader of the season, Ole Miss dominated against North Alabama and Jackson State, winning 7-0 and 4-0, respectively. The following weekend, Ole Miss faced Tennessee State in a pair of matches where the Rebels topped them in both with scores of 7-0 and 4-0.
Team Profile: Northwestern
The Northwestern Wildcats enter their clash with the Rebels sitting 0-3 to start 2024 following matches against three fierce competitors. The Wildcats kicked off their season dropping a tough match at No. 21 NC State, 6-1, before traveling to Memphis where they were swept, 4-0. Northwestern then fell at Louisville in a tightly contested matchup, 4-3. The Wildcats are led by senior Gleb Blekher who secured the final point last year to top UCLA, 4-2, and advance to the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
Team Profile: Harvard
Entering the weekend as the No. 15 ranked team in the ITA’s latest rankings, Harvard will play host to the ITA Kickoff Weekend regional this weekend after receiving the 12th seed of the tournament this summer. Coming off a tough 4-2 loss against Memphis, the Crimson bounced back and secured dominating victories over No. 21 NC State and Bryant. The Harvard lineup features two individuals ranked within ITA’s singles play, including No. 15 ranked Cooper Williams and No. 111 Marc Ktiri.
Team Profile: UCLA
The UCLA Bruins come into the ITA Kickoff Weekend coming off a season-opening 4-3 loss against No. 19 Texas A&M. The Bruins are led by Gianluca Ballotta who is currently ranked No. 121 in the most recent ITA rankings. UCLA comes off a 12-11, 3-5 PAC 12 record in the 2022-23 season and looks to improve on its past trip to the ITA Kickoff Weekend where the Bruins fell to USC in the regional championships, 4-0.
Last Year at ITA Kickoff Weekend
In last year’s ITA Kickoff Weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Rebels were put to the test in the opening round. Ole Miss faced Princeton where despite numerous tightly contested matches, the Rebels were unable to secure the victory. Ole Miss was able to bounce back, taking down Nevada by means of a 4-0 sweep in the consolation matchup. The Rebels look to improve on last year’s performance and prove themselves as a worthy opponent this spring.
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.