The Ole Miss women’s tennis team returns to action this weekend as they travel to Starkville for the Hail State Classic, where they will face-off against Mississippi State and other SEC rivals on Oct. 16-18.

Last weekend, the Rebels played well at the Music City Scramble in Nashville, Tenn. 

On day one, the team couldn’t have come out stronger, going 6-1 in their doubles competitions. They faced stiffer competition on day two during the singles rounds but still left the day with seven singles wins out of their 20 matches. On the last day of the competition, the Rebels pulled away with three singles wins, bringing their weekend total to nine singles wins and seven doubles wins. 

The doubles team looks to keep up the momentum from last week with pairings Alexa Bortles and Sabina Machalova and Anna Vrbenska and Tereza Janatoza. The doubles pairings are a combined 18-5 this season when they take the court. Against nationally-ranked opponents, these duos are 2-3 on the season, proving that they are more than capable of competing with anyone in the league. 

Bortles and Janatova will lead the team into Starkville at the top of the Rebel’s roster for singles. The middle of the pack — Machalova, Grace Anna Jones and Kelsey Mize — played in multiple singles matches that have resulted in tight scores and close tiebreakers.

This Rebel squad has already distinguished itself as high energy, strong competitors — even through limited practices caused by COVID-19 and new line-ups and pairings. 

This upcoming weekend, the Rebels expect to continue building on their team chemistry and aggressive play style on both the singles and doubles courts. 

The Hail State Classic is set to last from Friday, Oct. 16, to Sunday, Oct. 18, for an all-weekend competition.