Men’s Tennis Returns Home for Pair of Non-Conference Matchups
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OXFORD, Mississippi — Men’s tennis Ole Miss returns to Oxford to kick off what will be an eight-game homestand for the Rebels, beginning with matches against Columbia and Tulane on February 3-5.
The Rebels (3-1) open their weekend with a 5 p.m. game Friday against No. 19-ranked Columbia (1-1) before returning to action Sunday for a 1 p.m. game with Tulane (1 -0). Both matches will be played at the William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center.
Live scores and live video from both matches will be publicly available. Links to both can be found above as well as on the Ole Miss men’s tennis schedule page.
Rebels in the ranking
A pair of rebels entered the spring season holding the ITA singles ranking, while John Hallquist Lithen and Nikola Slavic both cracked the ITA Top 100 at the end of the fall season . Lithen leads the way for the Rebels, with a 7-3 singles record, including three ranked wins, propelling him to 82nd place. Slavic, a reigning 2022 ITA All-American, is close behind Lithen, ranking 99th. in the country after posting a 4-4 singles record for the fall season.
Open the year with a pair of swipes
Ole Miss was able to open its season with a bang last Saturday as the team hosted Tennessee State for a season-opening doubleheader that pitted the Rebels against each other in their first doubles matches of the year. Behind solid play from veterans such as Nikola Slavic and John Hallquist Lithen, the Rebels managed to fight their way to back-to-back 7-0 wins over the Tigers. Ole Miss finished the day with a perfect 18-0 record in doubles and singles against TSU, including straight-set wins in 11 of the team’s 12 singles victories.
Schlagenhauf remains perfect
Freshman Noah Schlagenhauf continues to put off a strong start to the rookie campaign with the Rebels, picking up wins in each of his first four singles games of the spring season. Moreover, Schlagenhauf remains a perfect 2-0 in doubles this season after picking up a pair of wins alongside fellow freshman Isac Strömberg in the No. 3 position in doubles. Schlagenhauf is now the first rebel player since 2019 to win his first four collegiate doubles singles matches with the team. With straight-set wins in all four of her singles matches this year, Schlagenhauf still hasn’t given up a collegiate tennis set.
Rebels Return From ITA Launch Weekend
Ole Miss returns to Oxford after splitting two games during the always difficult ITA Kickoff Weekend. Hosted at the University of Virginia, the Rebels squad provided a pair of early Tests to open their spring dual season. To open the weekend, the Rebels took on a young Princeton side who were up for the challenge, as the Tigers managed to pull off a 4-1 victory to advance to the next round of the weekend. Moving on to the consolation bracket, the Rebels still faced a tough game on Sunday against defending champions Mountain West, Nevada. Rallying behind a strong doubles game to open the game, the Rebels fought their way to a 4-0 sweep of the Wolfpack to ultimately split the weekend’s games while picking up an important victory over a 2022 tournament team at the Nevada.
Team profile: Colombia
Entering their competition with the Rebels ranked as the No. 19 team in the nation, Columbia represents another tough test for Ole Miss at the start of the 2023 season. Arriving with a total of four players ranked in singles as well as the 15th pair of doubles from the country, the Lions arrive in Oxford with a chip on their shoulder after suffering their first loss of the year in their ITA kick-off match with their league rival Ivy at Harvard. Michael Zheng, who holds an impressive 13-4 record as a Lions rookie, skyrocketed the ITA rankings to become the country’s 11th singles player. The Lions roster is bolstered by three more singles-ranked players, with Roko Horvat (#33), Alex Kotzen (#49) and Max Westphal (#64) all currently ranked. Westphal is also ranked No. 15 in the country in doubles alongside teammate Theo Winegar.
Team Profile: Tulane
Tulane’s men’s tennis team will prove to be the second test of the weekend for Ole Miss, as the unbeaten Green Wave travel to Oxford to build on their momentum following a 6-1 win over Furman at New -Orleans. Headlining the Tulane roster is junior Fynn Kuenkler, as the Bielefeld, Germany native is currently ranked No. 87 in the country in singles by the ITA and plays in the No. 1 position. in team singles. The last time the Rebels met the Green Wave was when the teams faced off in an NCAA second-round game on May 9, 2021. A freshman at the time, Kuenkler dropped out his singles and doubles matches against the Rebels en route to a 4-0 Ole Miss sweep to advance to the Sweet 16.
Team Promotions: Doormat Giveaway and International Student Day
Fans attending Friday’s game between the Rebels and Columbia will be able to pick up their own Ole Miss doormat upon arrival at the William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center. Sunday’s game against Tulane will serve as International Student Day, with snacks from various countries being provided to those in attendance.
Follow the rebels on social networks
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.