Men’s Tennis Travels To MSU

Team Aims To Finish Regular Season Strong

From Ole Miss Sports Information

Photo by UM Photographer Kevin Bain

With five regular season matches left on the schedule, the No. 10 ranked Ole Miss men’s tennis team aims to finish strong, and that begins Friday with a match at 13th-ranked arch-rival Mississippi State.

The two teams will square off for the third time this season at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre at 2 p.m.  After the Bulldogs claimed the River Hills Cup at the beginning of the season, the Rebels got revenge in Seattle at the National Team Indoor, winning 4-2.

“This year both teams have been ranked in the top 10 in the nation,” head coach Billy Chadwick said.   “We are 1-1 against each other, and we’re anticipating a great match.”

Ole Miss (12-5, 5-3) is coming off a split of last weekend’s matches.  After a tough 4-3 loss at LSU, the Rebels rebounded to top Arkansas 4-1.

The Rebels continue to be led by All-Americans Nik Scholtz and Jonas Lutjen.  Scholtz is ranked No. 8 in the nation in the latest singles rankings with a 19-5 overall record, 11-3 at No. 1.    Lutjen is ranked No. 12 with a team-leading 25-9 overall record.   Scholtz and Lutjen form one of the top duos in the country in doubles at No. 4.   They are 14-2 at No. 1 doubles and 6-1 in the SEC.

Mississippi State comes into Friday’s match at 13-6 overall, 3-4 in the SEC.  In their last match, the Bulldogs beat Arkansas 4-1. Their match at LSU was postponed due to weather.  The Bulldogs are led by freshman Romain Bogaerts, who is ranked No. 20 with a 10-5 record at No. 1 singles.

Fans can follow the match with live scoring by going to OleMissSports.com and clicking on the link in the calendar.