Ole Miss Rebels Tennis Drops Match Against No. 23 Florida Gators in Kickoff Weekend

RALEIGH, N.C. – Ole Miss women's tennis team battled to the finish but came up short in a 4-2 loss to No. 23 Florida on Monday at NC State ITA Kickoff Weekend.

The Rebels showed early fight in doubles, highlighted by a marathon match on court three in Doubles. Andrea Nova and Emily Welker pushed Florida's India Houghton and Emily Seibold, ending with a tiebreak of 7(6)-6(4). Courts two and three went to the Gators.

Ole Miss responded in singles play with two strong performances. Welker earned a victory on court one, defeating Seibold 6-4, 6-2, and Alice Soulié added a point for the rebels on court three with a win over Houghton, 7(15)-6(13), 7(6)-6(2).

Despite the loss, Ole Miss demonstrated competitiveness against the top-ranked programs, gaining value for the later conference play in the season.

MONDAY'S RESULTS:
Doubles:
India Houghton and Emily Seibold (Florida) vs. No. 58 Andrea Nova and Emily Welker (Ole Miss) 6-5 (UF)
Valery Gynina and Brooke Black (Florida) def. Riley Crowder and Alice Soulié (Ole Miss) 6-4
Xinyi Nong and Lucie Pawlak (Florida) def. Ichino Horikawa and Brooklyn Olson (Ole Miss) 7(6)- 6(4)

Singles in Raleigh! #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/MuSGP3Zt0X
— Ole Miss Women's Tennis (@OleMissWTennis) January 26, 2026

Singles:
No. 6 Emily Welker (Ole Miss) def. Emily Seibold (Florida) 6-4, 6-2
Valery Gynina (Florida) def. Brooklyn Olson (Ole Miss) 6-4, 6-2
Alice Soulié (Ole Miss) def. India Houghton (Florida) 7(15)-6(13), 7(6)-6(2)
#11 Gabia Paskauskas (Florida) def. Andrea Nova (Ole Miss) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
Brooke Black (Florida) def. Riley Crowder (Ole Miss) 6-4, 6-2
Lucie Pawlak (Florida) def. Ichino Horikawa (Ole Miss) 6-4, 3-2 (UF)

The Preseason Buzz:

Ole Miss women's tennis was picked to finish twelfth in the SEC coaches' poll as released by the conference this month.

In what would be former head coach Mark Beyers' last season after a 24-year campaign, the Rebels finished tenth in the SEC in 2024-25 with a conference record of 6-9 and a 15-13 overall record, which resulted in the program's 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance.

Now, with new head coach Grant Roberts at the helm, he will look to build on the program's success for the 2025-26 chapter.

SEC Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Rankings:
1. No. 1*Georgia
2. No. 4* Auburn
3. No. 5* LSU
4. No. 2* Texas A&M
5. No. 12* Texas
6. No. 6* Oklahoma
7. No. 23* Florida
8. No. 18* Vanderbilt
9. No. 16* Tennessee
10. Alabama
11. South Carolina
12. Ole Miss
13. Kentucky
14. Mississippi State
15. Arkansas
16. Missouri

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.