Erin Stephens returns the ball during a match earlier this season. / Ignacio Murillo
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The No. 9 seed Ole Miss women’s tennis team dropped a 4-0 decision to top-seeded Georgia Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Championship at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
With the loss, the Rebels fall to 16-13 overall and now must wait for the NCAA Championship selections to be announced on April 30 to find out their postseason destination. The Rebels defeated South Carolina 4-3 in the second round Thursday.
“Georgia was just the better team today,” head coach Mark Beyers said. “It’s a shame that we couldn’t finish at No. 1 doubles because we were up triple match point. In singles we had some close matches. They were just the better team, that’s why they’re the No. 1 seed. We look forward to continuing our season in the NCAA Championships.”
Georgia won the doubles point with quick wins at Nos. 2 and 3, but the Rebel duo of Iris Verboven and Erin Stephens led 7-6 and had triple match point to defeat No. 1 ranked Kate Fuller and Silvia Garcia.
Rebel freshman Marija Milutinovic lost to Georgia’s Ayaka Okuno 6-3, 6-0 at No. 5 singles. Caroline Rohde-Moe dropped a 6-2, 6-1 decision to sixth-ranked Lauren Herring at No. 1 singles as Georgia went ahead 3-0. Erin Stephens had her four match win streak snapped with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Garcia on court four.
The NCAA Selections and host sites will be announced April 30.
