The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Georgia
Women’s Tennis Travels East to Take on No. 1 Georgia and No. 17 South Carolina
2/25/2026 | Women's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. – In its first road matches of conference play, Ole Miss women's tennis faces off against No. 1 Georgia before heading to take on No. 17 South Carolina.
The No. 32 Ole Miss women's tennis team (6-1, 1-0 SEC) is coming off a top-five victory against LSU and will look to ride its momentum in its upcoming matches against Georgia and South Carolina.
The Rebels will have two chances this weekend to add two more ranked wins as it begins with the No. 1 Bulldogs (6-1, 1-0 SEC) at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia, at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26.
Coming off a National Championship this past year, the Bulldogs have not skipped a beat, as they have yet to relinquish the top spot in the ITA team rankings this spring. The Bulldogs were also crowned National Champions at the ITA Team Indoor Championships in a path that included wins against No. 18 Virginia, No. 9 LSU, No. 13 Auburn, and No. 2 Ohio State.
Their only loss is to No. 3 North Carolina. Georgia faced its first conference opponent this spring when it defeated No. 16 South Carolina this past Sunday. Their roster has six ranked singles players and four ranked doubles pairings.
Following their match in Georgia, the Rebels will travel to Columbia, South Carolina, for a match against the No. 17 Gamecocks (7-2, 0-1 SEC) at the Carolina Tennis Center at 1 p.m.
The Gamecocks have proven to be a tough squad this season, with wins against No. 54 Miami (FL), No. 59 Georgia Tech, No. 21 Clemson, and No. 43 Charlotte. In its conference opener against Georgia, Sophomore Helena Buchwald beat No. 7 Aysegul Mert in straight sets. The Gamecocks have one ranked singles player and three ranked doubles pairings.
RANKINGS
Team:
No. 1 Georgia
No. 16 South Carolina
No. 32 Ole Miss
Singles:
No. 7 – Aysegul Mert (UGA)
No. 11 – Emily Welker (OM)
No. 30 – Anastasiia Gureva (UGA)
No. 41 – Deniz Dilek (UGA)
No. 48 – Anastasiia Lopata (UGA)
No. 52 – Sofia Rojas (UGA)
No. 63 – Kaitlyn Carnicella (USC)
No. 91 – Patricija Paukstyte (UGA)
Doubles:
No. 8 – Deniz Dilek and Aysegul Mert (UGA)
No. 18 – Lauren Friedman and Helena Buchwald (USC)
No. 19 – Kaitlyn Carnicella and Bella Bergqvist Larsson (USC)
No. 35 – Emma Dong and Deniz Dilek (UGA)
No. 46 – Anastasiia Gureva and Aysegul Mert (UGA)
No. 71 – Andrea Nova and Emily Welker (OM)
No. 73 Lauren Friedman and Sara Borkop (USC)
No. 77 – Anastasiia Lopata and Patricija Paukstyte (UGA)
FOLLOW THE REBELS ON SOCIAL
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWTennis, on Facebook at OleMissWTennis and on Instagram at OleMissWTennis. Also, follow Coach Roberts on Twitter, @gdrob91.
THE REBELS
Riley Crowder(Fr.) – Dothan, Alabama
- No. 1 recruit out of Alabama in 2025 class
- 2022 USTA Alabama State Junior and Southern Junior Player of the Year
- Ranked as high No. 167 in the ITF World Junior circuit
-Compiled a 6-3 record in singles and 5-4 record in doubles in the Fall of 2025
Ichino Horikawa(Sr.) – Kyoto, Japan
- Posted a career-high ITF Junior ranking of No. 173
- Secured the deciding match point in Ole Miss' upset of No.4 LSU
-Compiled a 7-6 record in singles and 7-6 record in doubles in the Fall of 2025
Andrea Nova (Jr.) – Prague, Czechia
- Went 13-12 in singles and 12-14 in doubles during her sophomore campaign
- Helped the Rebels reach the 2025 NCAA Tournament
-Along with Welker, reached the round of 16 at the 2025 NCAA Doubles Championship
Brooklyn Olson(So.) – Kansas City, Kansas
- Went 4-0 in dual singles matches in 2025
- Overall singles record of 10-8
- Blue Chip five-star recruit
Alice Soulié (So.) – Angers, France
- Paced the team in dual victories with 12 in 2025, also adding nine wins in doubles
- Nine of her wins came against conference opponents in 2025, also tops for the team
- Clinched the match-winning point against No. 13 Texas to give Ole Miss its biggest upset of the 2024-25 season
- The Soulié/Welker duo defeated Georgia's then-No. 75 tandem of Aysegul Mert and Hayden Mulberry
Emily Welker (Gr.) – Limbach-Oberfrohna, Saxony, Germany
- Ranked No. 6 in ITA singles at the end of the 2025 Fall season
- Reached the NCAA Singles Championship Semifinals in 2025, defeating opponents ranked Nos. 106, 88, 45 and 26
-Along with Nova, reached the round of 16 at the 2025 NCAA Doubles Championship
Owen Wilkinson(Fr.) – Oxford, Mississippi
- Top-ranked recruit in her class out of Mississippi, according to Tennis Recruiting Network
- Won two consecutive MHSAA Class 6A state titles in girls' singles in 2022 and 2023
Beatrice Stagno (Fr.) – Milan, Italy
-Career-high ITF Singles Ranking of 124
RETURNING REBELS
After graduating four seniors from the previous year's team, all five remaining players will remain at Ole Miss for the 2025-26 campaign. This season marks Andrea Nova's third year in the program. Among those returning from last season, Nova leads with 13 wins this past spring. Emily Welker started a majority of matches at court 1 for the Rebels in 2025. Alice Soulié led the team with nine conference wins this past season.
FRESH FACES
The Rebels brought in three freshmen this offseason to round out the remainder of the roster. Riley Crowder joins the team as the No. 1 recruit coming out of Alabama this past recruiting cycle. Additionally, Owen Wilkinson will come in as the No. 1 recruit coming out of Mississippi, boasting two MHSAA Class 6A titles in girls' singles at nearby Oxford High School. Ichino Horikawa comes to Ole Miss by way of Japan after posting a career-high ITF Junior ranking of No. 173.
Players Mentioned
