Ole Miss Freshman Ichino Horikawa Named SEC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Ichino Horikawa of Ole Miss was named the Southeastern Conference Women’s Tennis Freshman of the Week on Wednesday, marking her first individual conference honor. The award comes after her key performances in Ole Miss’s 5-2 victory against No. 4 LSU on Feb. 22.

Horikawa, a freshman from Japan, partnered with Brooklyn Olson in doubles, holding off LSU’s No. 51-ranked pair of Kenna Erickson and Ella McDonald in an unfinished match. Her most significant contribution came in singles, where she defeated Florentine Dekkers in three sets to clinch the match for the Rebels. Horikawa lost the first set but won a marathon second-set tiebreaker, 7-6 (11-9), then dominated the third set, 6-1.

The victory was Ole Miss’s first against a top-five opponent and marked the team’s first SEC win of the season. The Rebels improved to 6-1 overall and continue conference play this week against No. 1 Georgia and No. 17 South Carolina. The team’s next matches are scheduled for Thursday and Saturday at those respective locations.

Ole Miss head coach Grant Roberts praised Horikawa’s performance, noting her role in securing the upset. The Rebels are seeking their first conference victory under Roberts, who is in his first year coaching the team.

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