TUSCALOOSA, Ala. / STARKVILLE, Miss. – Ole Miss women’s tennis had a monster first day at the John Cade Classic and Roberta Alison Invitational. The Rebels combined for four doubles wins and nine singles wins out of 17 total matches.
Ole Miss saw a ton of success at the John Cade Classic in doubles and singles. The day began with two rounds of doubles before playing the first round of singles. Ole Miss brought out a couple new doubles pairings. In their first match, Andrea Nova and Kelsey Mize got down 5-2 early. However, the senior-freshman duo settled in and started to click, rattling off six straight set points to win 8-5. Emma Kette and Reka Zadori would also battle in their first-round match-up, winning the tiebreaker 7-5 for the 8-7 victory.
Mize and Nova used their momentum from the first round to propel them to the semifinals. The doubles team took down their North Texas opponents 8-3 to advance one match from the finals.
Three Rebels competed in the first singles round, with Zadori receiving a bye. Mize and Nova could not be stopped as they each grabbed singles win to remain perfect on Day One. The Prague, Czechia native won in two tight sets, 7-5, 7-6(3) for the fifth of her young collegiate career. Mize made the Rebels at the Roberta Alison Invitational a perfect three for three in singles with her 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(2) victory.
Kette advanced to the quarterfinals due to retirement after taking a 5-2 lead in the opening set.
Down in Tuscaloosa, another fresh doubles team earned their first win. Briana Crowley and Lucie Devier defeated Tulane’s Cora Barber and Jiayun Zhu 6-3. However, it was the singles play where the Rebels shined with six total wins.
Rachel Krzyzak highlighted singles competition, notching two singles wins. The junior won 6-4, 7-5 in the first match, then 6-0, 3-6, 7-5 in the next round. Krzyzak moves to 6-2 in fall tournament action.
After winning in doubles, Crowley and Devier also added singles victories. Crowley defeated Fernanda Carvajal from ETSU, 6-2, 7-5. Devier cruised to a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Zhu. Completing the perfect first round, Ava Hrastar came back from losing the first set 6-4 to dominate the next two, 6-0, 6-1.
The day would end with Devier joining Krzyzak in the next round of the singles bracket. The senior forced a third set with a 7-4 tiebreak win in the second set. She finished the job in the third set with a 6-2 score.
The Rebels are right back at it tomorrow morning, starting with doubles at 9 CT in both locations.
Doubles (John Cade Classic)
K. Mize/A. Nova (Ole Miss) def. A. Rath/J. Clemens (Mississippi St.), 8-5
E. Kette/R. Zadori (Ole Miss) def. L. Chalard/O. Malm (UNT), 8-7(5)
K. Mize/A. Nova (Ole Miss) def. C. Laydner/S. Shulzhenko (UNT), 8-3
B. Miret/L. Mould (Louisville) def. E. Kette/R. Zadori (Ole Miss), 8-5
Singles (John Cade Classic)
E. Kette (Ole Miss) def. M. Adati (UNT), 5-2 wr
A. Nova (Ole Miss) def. B. Miret (Louisville), 7-5, 7-6(3)
K. Mize (Ole Miss) def. E. Noguero (Louisville), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (2)
Doubles (Roberta Alison Invitational)
B. Crowley/L. Devier (Ole Miss) def. C. Barber/J. Zhu (Tulane), 6-3
A. Zamburek/R. Lacasse (Nebraska) def. A. Hrastar/R. Krzyzak (Ole Miss), 6-3
Singles (Roberta Alison Invitational)
R. Krzyzak (Ole Miss) def. A. Wasserbauerova (UAB), 6-4, 7-5
B. Crowley (Ole Miss) def. Fernanda Carvajal (ETSU), 6-2, 7-5
L. Devier (Ole Miss) def. Jiayun Zhu (Tulane), 6-4, 6-3
A. Hrastar (Ole Miss) def. L. Yelamanchili (Tulane), 4-6, 6-0, 6-1
R. Krzyzak (Ole Miss) def. K. Kukaras (Troy), 6-0, 3-6, 7-5
A. Esposito Cogan (Auburn) def. B. Crowley (Ole Miss), 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2
S. Markova (ETSU) def. A. Hrastar (Ole Miss), 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
L. Devier (Ole Miss) def. R. Amin Hagar (Troy), 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2