OXFORD, Miss. — The Ole Miss women’s tennis team defeated Mississippi State 4-3 in a dramatic home match Thursday night at the Palmer/Salloum Outdoor Tennis Center, according to a university release.
Ole Miss (10-9, 4-8 SEC) trailed after doubles but responded strongly in singles play. The Bulldogs (15-9, 3-9 SEC) took courts one and two, but the Rebels nearly closed out their doubles matches before play ended, with Beatrice Stagno and Brooklyn Olson holding a 5-3 advantage on court three.
In singles, No. 18 Emily Welker put Ole Miss on the board with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Gianna Oboniye. Ichino Horikawa followed with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Carolina Troiano, giving the Rebels a 2-1 lead. Andrea Nova then defeated Ntondele Zinga 6-2, 6-4, increasing the lead to 3-1.
The final courts proved tense. Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocs won in three sets, and Mia Robinson leveled the match at 3-3 after defeating Stagno in three sets. The decisive match on court four saw Riley Crowder beat Chiara Di Genova in a three-set thriller, with Crowder taking the third set 6-1.
The victory marks Ole Miss’s eighth straight win over Mississippi State, dating back to 2018. The Rebels’ last home SEC match is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. against No. 44 Mississippi State.
