Ole Miss Tennis sent four athletes to the 2025 NCAA Individual Tennis Championships from Tuesday, Nov. 18 to Sunday, Nov. 23 in Orlando, Fla.
Kai Milburn and Isac Stromberg represented Ole Miss in the men’s doubles bracket, and Andrea Nova and Emily Welker competed in the women’s doubles bracket. Welker also competed individually in the women’s singles bracket.
Milburn and Stromberg defeated Eastern Tennessee State University 6-0, 6-3 in the first round of the doubles tournament.
After the win, they advanced in the bracket to play Florida and were defeated 6-3, 6-3. Milburn and Stromberg fell out of the tournament after this loss, but still finished among the top 16 pairs in the NCAA.
Welker and Nova also competed in the tournament, and finished with a similar result.
Welker and Nova won their first match 6-4, 6-3 over Baylor on Friday in the Round of 32. Saturday, they lost to North Carolina 7-5, 4-6, 10-5. Even with a second round loss, the pair still was among the top 16 finishers.
Welker had a notable performance in the singles bracket, and finished in the Top 4 for the tournament.
In round one, she defeated North Carolina State 6-2, 6-1. The following day she took on Vanderbilt and came out on top. After losing the first set, she battled back to win 2-6, 6-0, 6-3.
On day three, Welker was set to compete against Michigan. Due to an injury, there was no contest, which automatically advanced Welker to the round of eight.
Welker defeated Appalachian State 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in that round. This win clinched her spot in the final four.
In the final four, Welker faced off against California and lost 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7).
Welker was named an NCAA All-American in the tournament, and was the first athlete from Ole Miss to make it to the semifinals since 2018.
What’s next?
Ole Miss will host the Oxford UTR from Dec. 1-7 at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
