Men’s Tennis Readies for ITA Kickoff Weekend in Charlottesville

			OLE MISS (2-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Princeton (0-2, 0-0 Ivy League) Saturday, Jan. 28 • 8:00 a.m. CT • Charlottesville, Va. Boar’s Head Sports Club

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Ole Miss men’s tennis will take their talents to Charlottesville, Virginia, this weekend for the annual ITA Kickoff Weekend hosted by the University of Virginia from January 28-29.

The Rebels will open their weekend with an Ivy League test against Princeton (0-2) at 8 a.m. CT on Saturday. They will then await the result of Saturday’s second match between No. 1 ranked Virginia (4-0) and Nevada (0-1) to find out their opponent and match time for Sunday’s finale.

A Rebel win over Princeton will result in them playing the winner of Virginia/Nevada at 12 p.m. on Sunday to determine who will be advancing to the ITA National Indoor Championships, which are set to run Feb. 17-20 in Champagne, Illinois. A loss to Princeton and the Rebels will clash with the loser of Virginia/Nevada at 9 a.m. on Sunday in a consolation match.

Live scoring and live video for both matches will be available to the public. Links to both can be found above as well as on the Ole Miss men’s tennis schedule page.

Rebels in the Rankings

A pair of Rebels entered the spring season holding ITA singles rankings, as John Hallquist Lithen and Nikola Slavic both cracked the ITA’s Top 100 at the conclusion of the fall season. Lithen leads the way for the Rebels, with a singles record of 7-3 including three ranked victories propelling him up into the No. 82. Slavic, a defending 2022 ITA All-American, follows closely behind Lithen, slotting in at No. 99 in the country after going 4-4 in singles play for the fall season.

Opening the Year with a Pair of Sweeps

Ole Miss was able to open their season with a bang last Saturday as the team hosted Tennessee State for a season-opening doubleheader that pitted the Rebels in their first dual matches of the year. Behind strong play from veterans such as Nikola Slavic and John Hallquist Lithen, the Rebels were able to sweep their way to back-to-back 7-0 victories over the Tigers. Ole Miss finished the day a perfect 18-0 across doubles and singles play against TSU, including earning straight-set victories in 11 of the team’s 12 singles wins.

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