Ole Miss women’s tennis is set to open its Southeastern Conference schedule at home against No. 4 LSU on Sunday, February 19, at the William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center in Oxford. The Rebels enter the match with a 5-1 record and have won their last four matches.
LSU arrives with a 7-1 record this spring, having secured wins over ranked opponents including No. 18 UCLA, No. 14 Tennessee, and No. 9 NCSU. Their only loss came against top-ranked Georgia during the ITA National Team Indoor Quarterfinals.
The match will also feature a promotional giveaway for fans attending: a generic yellow lab Ole Miss bandana stuffed animal.
Head coach Grant Roberts leads an Ole Miss roster that includes both experienced players and new recruits. Returning athletes include senior Emma Kette from Germany, junior Andrea Nova from Czechia, graduate student Emily Welker from Germany, sophomore Alice Soulié from France, and sophomore Brooklyn Olson from Kansas. Among notable performances last season were Welker reaching the NCAA Singles Championship Semifinals and Soulié clinching the match-winning point against Texas for one of the team’s biggest upsets.
Three freshmen have joined this year: Riley Crowder (Alabama’s top recruit), Owen Wilkinson (Mississippi’s top recruit), and Beatrice Stagno (Italy). Ichino Horikawa also joins as a senior transfer from Japan.
The Rebels’ doubles pairing of Nova and Welker is currently ranked No. 71 nationally. In singles rankings, Welker holds the No. 11 spot.
LSU features several nationally ranked singles players—Kayla Cross (No. 51), Cadence Brace (No. 75), Kinaa Graham (No. 96), Kenna Erickson (No. 107), Carolina Kuhl (No. 114), Addison Lanton (No. 115)—and two doubles teams within the top-100 rankings.
Fans can follow updates on Ole Miss Women’s Tennis via Twitter (@OleMissWTennis), Facebook (OleMissWTennis), Instagram (@OleMissWTennis) or Coach Roberts’ Twitter account (@gdrob91).
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