Mississippi Nik Scholtz during a tennis match. (DM Photo | Kayla Beatty)
After successful seasons from both the men’s and women’s teams, the Ole Miss tennis programs have qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
Men’s tennis will host a regional in the NCAA tournament and will face Alabama State in Oxford in the opening round. Alabama State qualified for the NCAA Tournament as champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Hornets won the SWAC even though they posted an under .500 record at 12-15 overall and 3-2 in SWAC play. Even with their record, Alabama State ended the season on a seven game winning streak en route to winning the SWAC tournament.
The Rebels were led by senior Nik Scholtz, who just last year won the honor of being named SEC Player of the Year, and junior Stefan Lindmark. Both Scholtz and Lindmark earned First Team All-SEC honors for their performance over the season. Scholtz led the Rebels with a 14-5 record at No. 1 singles and finished 6-3 in SEC play. Lindmark had a stellar year at No. 2 singles for the Rebels becoming the fifth Rebel to go undefeated in SEC play at 8-0.
The first round of the NCAA tournament will begin May 8 for men’s tennis.
The Ole Miss women’s tennis team qualified for the field of 64 in the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid. The Rebels will face Denver in the first round starting May 8. The Rebels will travel to Miami, where the Miami Hurricanes will host the regional as a national seed.
Denver qualified for the NCAA Tournament, winning the Summit League tournament for the second season in a row and received an automatic bid. The Pioneers were impressive over the course of the season, posting a 15-8 overall record and going 3-0 in conference play and 8-3 at home. Denver also owns a 2-1 record in neutral site games and will face Ole Miss in Miami in the first round. The Pioneers also ended the season on a hot streak, winning six in a row to end the season.
The Ole Miss women’s tennis team finished the season with a 15-10 overall record and a 5-8 record in SEC play. The Rebels qualified for the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid thanks to their strong showing at the end of the season, winning four out of five games to end the season. The one loss came against Florida in the SEC Tournament.
The Rebels are led by senior Julia Jones and freshman Arianne Hartono. Jones earned First Team All-SEC honors for her success over the course of the season, owning 18-6 record at No. 1 singles and finished 8-4 in SEC play. Hartono made the All-Freshman team in the SEC with a 18-9 overall record and a 9-5 record at No. 2 singles.
