Ole Miss men’s tennis prepares for a packed weekend of conference play, traveling to College Station, Texas, to take on No. 16 Texas A&M before heading to Norman, Oklahoma, to play against No. 18 Oklahoma.The match against the Aggies is set for 11 a.m. at the Mitchell Tennis Center on Saturday, February 21. Then the Rebels will travel to Norman, Oklahoma, to play at the Headington Family Tennis Center on Monday, February 23.
Ranked 32 in this week’s ITA rankings, Ole Miss (12-0) is off to its best start in program history, surpassing 1957’s 11-0 start. Heading into this weekend, the Rebels have two ranked doubles pairings, No. 40 Isac Stromberg and Kai Milburn, and No. 87 Loan Lestir and Matthieu Chambonniere.
Texas A&M (7-3) will face off against Ole Miss, having already played in three matchups against SEC opponents. It earned a 4-1 win against Tennessee, but suffered a 4-2 loss against No. 7 Texas, and a 3-4 loss against LSU. They look to lean on conference experience against the Rebels’ first SEC match of the season.
The Aggies lineup has three ranked singles players, led by No. 78 Theo Papamalamis, No. 108 Alexander Frusina and No. 112 Khololwam Montsi. Texas A&M also features two ranked doubles pairs, including the No.61 Khololwam Montsi and Alexander Frusina, and the No. 80 Theo Papamalamis and Togan Tokac.
After facing Texas A&M, the Rebels head off to face No. 18 Oklahoma.
Oklahoma (8-1) also boasts a deep roster, featuring three ranked singles players and two ranked doubles pairings. In singles, they are ranked No. 49, Luis Carlos Alvarez Valdes, No. 79 Oscar Lacides, and No. 89 Asahi Harazaki. For doubles, the No. 54 pairing of Bruno Nhavene and Oscar Lacides, and the No. 71 duo of Orel Kimhi and Johan Alexander Rodriguez.