Hog Tennis Hits the Road to Face Rebels Bulldogs

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 47 Razorback tennis team will take its final road trip of the regular season to take on seventh-ranked Ole Miss and No. 49 Mississippi State this weekend. Arkansas (10-10, 2-6) has lost its last four conference matches, including a 4-3 loss to South Carolina in its last outing.

Freshman Chris Nott reached the 20-win mark last weekend with a three-set win over Florida’s Tyler Hochwalt. Nott has a team-best 21 wins this season and is second on the team with 10 dual-match victories. In the latest ITA singles rankings, junior Blake Strode is No. 99 and is one of four Razorback netters with at least 15 wins.

Arkansas will be looking for its first conference win against Ole Miss (15-4, 6-2). Last season, the Rebels beat Arkansas, 6-1, Oxford. The Razorbacks’ last win in the series, a 6-0 victory, came in 1988, before UA joined the SEC. In their last match, the Rebels posted a 5-2 win at Kentucky.

The Ole Miss line up features three top-50 players and two top-20 doubles teams. Matthias Wellermann is the 14th-ranked player in the nation. He is joined by No. 30 Erling Tveit and No. 46 Robbye Poole. Tveit and Jonas Berg form the No. 5 doubles team in the nation, while Wellermann and Bram ten Berge are ranked No. 19.

The Razorbacks and Mississippi State (8-8, 2-6) are tied for fifth place in the Western Division of the conference. Arkansas’ last win against the Bulldogs was a 4-3 victory in Starkville during the 2006 season. Last year, Mississippi State beat the Razorbacks, 6-1, in Fayetteville.

Mississippi State is led by No. 26 Ivan Bjelica and No. 57 Philippe Frayssinoux. Bjelica carries a 5-2 record in conference play and Frayssinoux leads the Bulldogs with 22 wins.

Friday’s match against Ole Miss is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start from the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center in Oxford. Log on to www.hogwired.com for live stats and complete results.