The University of Mississippi Athletics
Thursday, March 5
Oxford, Miss.
4 p.m.
Ole Miss
vs
Auburn
Women’s Tennis Hosts Pair of Top 25 Teams This Week
3/4/2026 | Women's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's tennis will take on a pair of highly ranked opponents at home, facing No. 5 Auburn and No. 23 Florida.
The No. 30 Ole Miss women's team (6-3, 1-2 SEC) is coming off a two-match road trip where it played No.1 Georgia and No. 11 South Carolina. Although the Rebels lost both competitions, the match against South Carolina came down to one singles court, which South Carolina managed to pull out, winning the match, 4-3.
The Rebels will once again have an opportunity to prove themselves against top competition. Ole Miss's first challenger will be No. 5 Auburn (19-1, 3-0 SEC), at the Palmer Salloum Outdoor Tennis Center at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 5.
The Tigers have proven themselves against many of the nation's best this spring. At the ITA Team Indoor Championships, they made it to the semifinals, where they lost to No. 1 Georgia, 4-3.
To begin SEC play, they have already picked up wins against No. 23 Florida, No. 19 Oklahoma and No. 71 Arkansas. The Tigers also have four Top 50 singles players and four ranked doubles pairings.
Following Thursday's match, No. 23 Florida (7-2, 2-1 SEC) will come to Oxford for a Saturday clash at 1 p.m.
Saturday will be a rematch against the Gators, for the Rebels previously faced off against the Gators earlier this season in Raleigh, N.C. The Gators won the match 4-2.
In conference play, the Gators fell against No. 5 Auburn, 5-2, but have since picked up a pair of conference wins against No. 19 Oklahoma and No. 71 Arkansas. The Gators boast six ranked singles players as well as one ranked doubles pair.
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
RANKINGS
Team:
No. 5 – Auburn
No. 23 – Florida
No. 30 – Ole Miss
Singles:
No. 12 – Emily Welker (OM)
No. 26 – Gabia Paskauskas (UF)
No. 27 – Ashton Bowers (AU)
No. 31 – Ava Esposito (AU)
No. 33 – DJ Bennett (AU)
No. 50 – Ekateerina Khayrutdinova (AU)
No. 72 – Nikola Daubnerova (UF)
No. 76 – Valery Gynina (UF)
No 84 – Emily Seibold (UF)
No. 88 – Lucie Pawlak (UF)
No. 91 – Angella Okutoyi (AU)
No. 103 – India Houghton (UF)
No. 119 – Alice Battesti (AU)
Doubles:
No. 14 – Ava Esposito and DJ Bennett (AU)
No. 19 Nikola Daubnerova and Xinyi Nong (UF)
No. 39 – Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat (AU)
No. 79 – Ashton Bowers and DJ Bennett (AU)
No. 83 – Ekaterina Khayrutdinova and Ashton Bowers (AU)
No. 85 – Andrea Nova and Emily Welker (OM)
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 Emma Kette's fourth year with the program, as well as Andrea Nova's third year. 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.
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 No. 30 Ole Miss women's team (6-3, 1-2 SEC) is coming off a two-match road trip where it played No.1 Georgia and No. 11 South Carolina. Although the Rebels lost both competitions, the match against South Carolina came down to one singles court, which South Carolina managed to pull out, winning the match, 4-3.
The Rebels will once again have an opportunity to prove themselves against top competition. Ole Miss's first challenger will be No. 5 Auburn (19-1, 3-0 SEC), at the Palmer Salloum Outdoor Tennis Center at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 5.
The Tigers have proven themselves against many of the nation's best this spring. At the ITA Team Indoor Championships, they made it to the semifinals, where they lost to No. 1 Georgia, 4-3.
To begin SEC play, they have already picked up wins against No. 23 Florida, No. 19 Oklahoma and No. 71 Arkansas. The Tigers also have four Top 50 singles players and four ranked doubles pairings.
Following Thursday's match, No. 23 Florida (7-2, 2-1 SEC) will come to Oxford for a Saturday clash at 1 p.m.
Saturday will be a rematch against the Gators, for the Rebels previously faced off against the Gators earlier this season in Raleigh, N.C. The Gators won the match 4-2.
In conference play, the Gators fell against No. 5 Auburn, 5-2, but have since picked up a pair of conference wins against No. 19 Oklahoma and No. 71 Arkansas. The Gators boast six ranked singles players as well as one ranked doubles pair.
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
RANKINGS
Team:
No. 5 – Auburn
No. 23 – Florida
No. 30 – Ole Miss
Singles:
No. 12 – Emily Welker (OM)
No. 26 – Gabia Paskauskas (UF)
No. 27 – Ashton Bowers (AU)
No. 31 – Ava Esposito (AU)
No. 33 – DJ Bennett (AU)
No. 50 – Ekateerina Khayrutdinova (AU)
No. 72 – Nikola Daubnerova (UF)
No. 76 – Valery Gynina (UF)
No 84 – Emily Seibold (UF)
No. 88 – Lucie Pawlak (UF)
No. 91 – Angella Okutoyi (AU)
No. 103 – India Houghton (UF)
No. 119 – Alice Battesti (AU)
Doubles:
No. 14 – Ava Esposito and DJ Bennett (AU)
No. 19 Nikola Daubnerova and Xinyi Nong (UF)
No. 39 – Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat (AU)
No. 79 – Ashton Bowers and DJ Bennett (AU)
No. 83 – Ekaterina Khayrutdinova and Ashton Bowers (AU)
No. 85 – Andrea Nova and Emily Welker (OM)
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 Emma Kette's fourth year with the program, as well as Andrea Nova's third year. 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.
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.
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