OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss men’s tennis prepares for its second doubleheader of the year as the Rebels will face Tennessee State on January 21. The first match taking place at the Willian F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center will commence at 12 p.m. CT with the second matchup following immediately after with a projected start time of approximately 4 p.m. CT.
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 a fall singles record of 5-2 including a ranked victory propelling him up into the No. 99 spot.
Opening the Year with a Pair of Sweeps
Ole Miss was able to open their season with a bang last Sunday as the team hosted North Alabama and Jackson State for a season-opening doubleheader. Behind strong play from veterans such as Nikola Slavic and Lukas Engelhardt, the Rebels were able to sweep their way to a 7-0 win over the Lions and a 4-0 victory over the Tigers. The Rebels were also able to tally wins in five of the team’s doubles matches on the day as well as going 9-0 in singles play.
Fresh Faces Make Their Rebel Debut
Two Rebel freshman saw their collegiate debuts in the team’s season-opening doubleheader a week ago, as Carson Baker and Brice Patoux kicked off their careers with perfect marks in singles and doubles.
Baker accumulated two 6-1 doubles victories with John Hallquist Lithén before defeating his singles opponents in straight sets, including a perfect 6-0, 6-0 victory against Jackson State. Although Patoux’s doubles match was unfinished in the second matchup of the day, the France native secured his first collegiate win after a 6-0, 6-1 singles victory versus the Tigers.
Team Profile: Tennessee State
The Tennessee State Tigers enter their clashes with the Rebels sitting 0-3 to start 2024 after facing some challenging opponents. The Tigers opened their season getting swept 7-0 at Middle Tennessee before losing at Vanderbilt, 6-1. Tennessee State then traveled South to Mississippi State where they were defeated, 7-0. Their lone point of the year comes from Taj Hibbert fighting his way to a singles victory against the Commodores.
Last Matchup Against Tennessee State
Last year, Ole Miss opened the 2023 spring season against Tennessee State as the Rebels captured two 7-0 wins over the Tigers. The Rebels dominated in all cylinders, grabbing wins in all six of the team’s doubles matches as well as going a perfect 12-0 in singles play. Ole Miss also saw straight-set wins in 11 of those 12 singles wins.
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.