Maggie CrouchOle Miss, who defeated Mississippi State 4-1 last Friday, hopes to continue this winning streak as it heads into the postseason Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday in Knoxville, Tennessee.
“They’ve figured out a way to win,” head coach Mark Beyers said after the Ole Miss women’s tennis team defeated Mississippi State in its final conference game of the season last Friday.
This victory against the in-state rival Bulldogs added to the Rebel team’s season wins, contributing to its overall conference record of 9-4 and earning it the No. 5 seed in the tournament. This marks the first time since 2015 that Ole Miss has entered the tournament ranked in the top 10.
The Rebels’ seven-match win streak has impressed Coach Beyers.
“In this league, I don’t care who you are or what you are ranked – that’s an impressive feat,” Beyers said courtside after the win over Mississippi State. “Of those seven, five were on the road. It shows how hard our ladies have worked and battled against some hostile crowds and tough teams.”
Senior Natalie Suk confirmed after the match that the crowd noise was a factor when playing on the rivals’ court.
“The Mississippi State crowd was loud at times, especially in the doubles and the end of the singles,” Suk said. “Every team in the SEC is tough and loud in a way, and Mississippi State was no different.”
The Rebels are determined to continue their battle against SEC teams this weekend, according to junior Allie Sanford.
“We can expect the competition to be very high on every single court, and I think we all have done extremely well in the close matches,” Sanford said. “I think we also have a lot of confidence going into the SEC Tournament. After our win against Georgia and our No. 6 national ranking came out, I think we all really believe we belong at the top.”
The team has undergone a complete transformation from last year’s season, in which it ended with a conference record of 3-10 and lost to Kentucky in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
The Ole Miss Rebels will take on the winner of the No. 12 Tennessee/No. 13 Alabama match, at 6 p.m Thursday. Ole Miss handily defeated both of those teams in regular season matches this year, winning 4-2 against Alabama and 4-0 against Tennessee. It has only gotten hotter since those wins.
Although the Rebels came out on top against these teams in regular-season play, it is always a challenge seeing them again, according to Sanford and Suk.
“At this level, you can never underestimate any team or player,” Sanford said. “I think we all understand that how we did against certain teams in season really means nothing once we show up on match day.”
“The thought process really is that we have beaten a lot of the teams and to just try and do it again,” Suk said. “It’s important for us to build on our success.”
After the SEC Tournament, the Rebels will also have the chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament.
“I think we all are really determined to go all the way this season,” Sanford said. “This team has so much passion and fight, and we all believe in one another so much. We are just going to continue doing what we are doing and represent the Ole Miss Rebels the best we can.”
As for Suk, a graduating senior, she hopes she has left her mark on the tennis program.
“I have had great four years at Ole Miss, and graduating with us being ranked top 10 in the nation is just a bonus,” Suk said. “I think the years I have been here, we have had success, especially this year, and that is great for the program.”
The SEC Tournament and potential subsequent NCAA berth will be an exceptional opportunity for Suk to further etch that mark and give Ole Miss tennis something to truly be proud of.
