The ninth-ranked Ole Miss men’s tennis team is preparing for a busy holiday weekend as the team gets ready to travel to Auburn, Alabama, to compete against the University of Auburn on Friday, April 2. Just two days later, the Rebels will quickly turn around to face the Alabama Crimson Tide at home on Sunday, April 4.
The team has started to find a successful rhythm after winning their last three matches in a row — including their last match against the 11th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs, where the Rebels won 5-2 overall. It was a satisfying win against MSU as they dominated the court, marking their first match win against the in-state rival since 2019. Despite losses in recent years, the Rebels still lead the all time series 51-31.
“We came out firing in doubles and were able to keep the momentum in singles today,” head coach Toby Hansson said in a statement. “I feel like we’re starting to play some really good tennis and that is obviously very exciting.”
Against Mississippi State, the Rebels succeeded in singles, winning four out of the six matches, but this past weekend’s star performance came from the Ole Miss doubles as they swept the Bulldogs in their matches, going 2-0. In their first match ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation, Finn Reynolds and Tim Sandkaulen defeated No. 37 Florian Broska and Gregor Ramskogler 6-4.
Last weekend’s wins pushed the Rebels’ overall record to 8-7, and in the Southeastern Conference, the Rebels have gone 6-3.
The Rebels will look to continue their streak on their tour against the Alabama Crimson Tide this weekend. This is not the first time that the Ole Miss tennis team has faced Alabama. The Rebels’ season started at the beginning of October against both of the schools at the Auburn Invitational, where they locked in a win against Auburn and swept Alabama on the same day.
In their last meeting, the Rebels dominated in singles. Senior Brady Draheim won his matches 6-4, 6-2; and senior Tim Sandkaulen defeated his opponent 6-4, 7-5.
At the Auburn Invitational, the doubles team had not quite figured out their chemistry yet, but after last weekend’s impressive sweep in doubles against Mississippi State, the team looks to continue to stay consistent together with more wins.
The Rebels will face Auburn in Alabama on Friday, April 2, at 2 p.m., and Rebel fans catch the team on its home court in Oxford on Sunday, April 4, at 1 p.m.
