The Ole Miss men’s and women’s tennis teams have faced their fair shares of challenges as the seasons pass their respective halfway mark.
The women’s team has had a better showing lately, and has continued to prove its merit against elite teams throughout the country.
The Rebels have faced a gauntlet of a schedule so far this season. The 11th-ranked ladies recently lost a close 4-2 match against No. 3 Vanderbilt, dropping their record to 11-5 overall and 2-4 in the SEC. No. 82 Tea Jandric lost the deciding match in three sets, which ended her eight-match winning streak. The match was the second time this season the Rebels have warranted a scare from a top team, as they also lost a tight 4-2 match against No. 1 North Carolina at the National Team Indoor Championship earlier this season. The Rebels have also dropped matches in SEC play to No. 15 Auburn and No. 10 South Carolina.
While close losses to elite teams seem a promising sign for an eventual breakthrough, a 4-1 win against No. 20 Kentucky on Mar. 15 was key to showing Ole Miss could shut down good teams. With the win, the Rebels notched their fourth win over a top-20 team this season. No. 17 Arianne Hartono improved her singles record to 11-1, and Alexa Bortles won in dominating fashion 6-0, 6-2 on Court 6 while teaming with Hartono to take the doubles point 7-5. Bortles and Hartono are ranked seventh nationally in doubles.
Zvonimir Babic prepares to take a backhand shot in a match against LSU earlier this season. Ole Miss Men’s Tennis will play at Florida on Friday. Photo by Billy Schuerman
The men’s team is currently on a four-match losing streak after dropping six of its last seven, including 4-0 losses to Kentucky and Tennessee. The Rebels seemed to prove their prowess and steady their play with a 4-1 bounce-back win against LSU, followed by a heartbreaking 4-3 loss against No. 19 Vanderbilt, but their momentum was broken on the back end of a road trip to Lexington, Kentucky.
Injuries have been a prominent factor during the losing streak. The Rebels’ No. 1 singles player, Gustav Hansson, who is ranked 41st nationally by Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, has not played in the Rebels’ past three matches after grinding out a 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 win on Court 1 in the Vanderbilt match. Fabian Fallert, a mainstay on the No. 1 doubles court for Ole Miss and a key singles starter, has also been out with injury since a tough 7-6, 4-6, 7-5 loss on Court 4 in the same Vanderbilt match.
Many players have stepped up as the Rebels have been forced to move into unfamiliar territory without their stars. No. 2 singles player Tim Sandkaulen has impressed on the first court and reached a season-high national ranking of 19th before dropping to 28th in the latest edition of the rankings. Freshmen Finn Reynolds and Cotter Wilson have also been thrust into action earlier than expected and have played well under the pressure.
The men and women continue their seasons Friday. The women will take on No. 46 Arkansas on the road in Fayetteville, while the men travel to Gainesville to take on No. 9 Florida. The men return home on March 30 to face Alabama, while the women will face No. 9 Georgia on April 5 in Oxford.
