HottyToddy.com Sports Round Up: August 4 – 10

The round up highlights sports on the Ole Miss campus ending the week of Sunday, August 10, 2014.
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Women’s Tennis
Ole Miss Women’s Tennis Inks Natalie Suk
With the new school year beginning less than a month from now, Ole Miss women’s tennis head coach Mark Beyers announced the addition of Natalie Suk (Bradenton, Florida), who signed a national letter of intent to join the program beginning this fall.
“We are excited to welcome Natalie to Ole Miss,” Beyers said. “She comes from a great tennis family, with a lot of tradition. Natalie will make an immediate impact and we look for her to have a great career here. She is a very talented and athletic player who is only going to get better with the structure of collegiate tennis.”
Suk owns a present WTA Ranking of 1110 in singles and 748 in doubles. She also achieved a career-high ranking of No. 79 in the Czech Republic Women’s Ranking.
Suk’s highlights include reaching the singles semifinals at the ITF Pro Circuit tournament in Orlando and three ITF Pro Circuit doubles semifinals appearances. She also advanced to the singles semifinals at the Czech National Women’s Grade A. Suk has posted wins against several players ranked in the WTA top 500.
As Beyers noted, Suk comes from a tennis family.  Her dad, her aunt and her grandmother all played tennis professionally.  As a doubles specialist, Natalie’s dad, Cyril Suk, won the 1998 U.S. Open Men’s Doubles Championship and four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles during his career, including three with her aunt, Helena. Natalie’s grandmother, Vera Suková, was a singles finalist at Wimbledon in 1962.
Natalie Suk joins Dutch native Arianne Hartono as newcomers to the 2014-15 squad, which returns seven letterwinners, including five of the top six in singles.
For more information on Ole Miss women’s tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWTennis and on Facebook at <ahref=”https://olemiss.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d8%2c63%3d5-%3eLCE59.%3b8%3d%26SDG%3c90%3a.&RE=MC&RI=4341418&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=59929&Action=Follow+Link” target=”_blank”>OleMissWTennis.
-Ole Miss Sports Information
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soccer
Ole Miss Soccer Reports For Fall Practice Wednesday

The Ole Miss soccer team took to the pitch Wednesday morning to kick off preseason workouts with the first of two practices as the Rebels prepare for the upcoming season which begins on August 22, when Ole Miss hosts Georgia.
The season-opening match with the Bulldogs will begin at 6 p.m. at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium and is the first live event to be broadcast by the SEC Network.
“We’re very happy with the fitness level of the team,” said Ole Miss head coach Matthew Mott. “Our strength coach, Randy Dorvin, has done a tremendous job and that allows us to start so much further along on the first day. We’re in a great spot physically.
“I’m happy with the speed and pace with which we trained this morning and that will help us with the style of play we want to put on the field this fall,” Mott said. “The attitude of the players was great and exactly what you look for as a coach. The players were energized and there was a buzz as they were flying all over the field in drills.”
Twenty-two players took to the field for Ole Miss, including 16 returning players and six newcomers as the Rebels look to build on the most successful season in program history. In 2013, Ole Miss finished 16-6-2 on the year and fourth in the Southeastern Conference standings with a 7-3-1 record.
The 16 wins marked the most in a single season for the program as the Rebels advanced to the fifth NCAA Tournament all-time and hosted an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in program history. Ole Miss defeated Jackson State 9-0 in that opening-round game before falling to top-ranked Florida State on the road in the second round, as the Seminoles would go on to finish as runners up for the national championship.
With the goal in sight to build on that successful campaign, the Rebels hit the field for technical drills to start the first day of practice under the watchful eye of the coaching staff, athletics trainers, and the strength and conditioning staff.
Ole Miss will close out the first day of practice when the Rebels hit the field again at 8 p.m. tonight for 11-on-11 competition.
The opening day of practice comes on the heels of a full day of orientation, acclimation and team meetings on Tuesday as the student-athletes met with different members of the Ole Miss Athletics staff, including compliance, media relations, athletic training, strength and conditioning and academics. The squad also received its new Nike equipment for the season as a part of reporting day.
The Rebels will continue practice through the next two weeks alternating two-a-day practices with single practice days, strength training and cardiovascular fitness workouts.
Kelly McCormick is the lone senior for the upcoming season as the goalkeeper has started all three years for the Rebels and is the all-time wins leader in goal (34). She posted a 16-6-2 mark as a junior while seeing the full time in goal in 19 matches and posting 10 shutout victories.
The Rebels also welcome back a large junior class of seven players for the upcoming season and nine players among last year’s freshman class.
Ole Miss returns several playmakers for the 2014 season, including forwards Olivia Harrison, Bethany Bunker and Addie Forbus, who combined for 17 of the team’s goals last season. In all, the Rebels return seven players who notched goals a year ago, and 39 career goals among all returning players in the junior and sophomore classes over the last two seasons.
Harrison (13), Bunker (7) and midfielder Jennifer Miller (6) are among the top goal scorers in the junior class. Also returning to the lineup for the Rebels will be Sara Coleman, who missed last season after a freshman year that saw the speedy forward notch three goals, including the game-winner in a shutout of Kentucky.
Defensively, the Rebels also return one of the most talented and experienced back lines in program history with all six players (Melissa Capocaccia, Maddie Friedmann, Gretchen Harknett, Jessica Hiskey, Georgia Russell and Samantha Sanders) who drew starts returning from last season all hitting the field again.
The group helped post 10 shutout victories a year ago and 17 matches with one goal or fewer allowed. The rising junior class has helped lead the Rebels to 18 shutout victories over the last two seasons and 30 total matches with no more than one goal allowed by opponents.
The versatility of the returning athletes for the Rebels adds to the prospects for 2014 despite the loss of senior midfielder Erin Emerson, along with the departure of Mandy McCalla and Rafaelle Souza up top. Miller returns for her third season at midfield, while attacking defenders Harknett and Hiskey can both move up to the midfield to provide an effective combination of defense and offense along with Miller in the middle.
Add in an exciting freshman class and it’s hard to miss the excitement surrounding the program heading into the 2014 season.
—Bill Bunting, Ole Miss Sports Information
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Men’s Basketball
Rebels Roll in Bahamas Exhibition Finale
Five Rebels scored in double figures as Ole Miss rolled past the South Side Bulls 90-51 Wednesday night in the final game of its Bahamas exhibition tour.
The two teams were tied at 17 at the end of the first quarter after the Bulls knocked down a 3-pointer from 30 feet as time expired. Junior college transfer Roderick Lawrence responded for the Rebels in the first possession of the second quarter with a one-handed, put back dunk that started an 11-0 for Ole Miss.
The Rebels never looked back, as Ole Miss outscored the Bulls 31-7 in the second quarter to take a 48-24 halftime lead. Senior LaDarius White scored 7 points, while junior Anthony Perez and sophomore Sebastian Saiz each added six in the quarter.
“Tonight’s game was much better than last night’s game,” said Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy. “I thought the second quarter was the basketball this group has played since coming together. The other team came out with great energy, but we were able to respond and play good basketball. We played all 11 guys double figure minutes and got production from a lot of different spots. All-in-all, I would say it was a successful trip.”
White and Saiz each finished with a team-high 13 points, while Perez and junior Stefan Moody each added 11 points and Lawrence chipped in 10. Saiz pulled down 10 boards to post a double-double and senior M.J. Rhett grabbed 9 rebounds and added 6 points in a start.
The Rebels outrebounded the Bulls 53-27 and outscored them 40-26 in the paint. Ole Miss got 53 points off its bench, recorded 12 steals and forced South Side into 23 turnovers.
The two teams played under modified international rules including four 10-minute quarters, a 30-second shot clock and international 3-point line and lane.
Ole Miss wrapped up its Bahamian exhibition tour with a perfect 2-0 record. The Rebels will open the 2014-15 season at home Nov. 14 against Charleston Southern.
—Daniel Snowden, Ole Miss Sports Information