OXFORD, Miss. - The Belmont University men's tennis team competes in its second NCAA Tournament in program history on Saturday, facing No. 15 seed Ole Miss at 3 p.m.
In its second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, Belmont Men's Tennis faces a familiar foe in No. 15 seed Ole Miss. After winning the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2006, the Bruins traveled to Oxford to face Ole Miss in the program's first NCAA Tournament. Belmont also played Ole Miss in a regular season match on Jan. 19, 2020, where the Rebels defeated the Bruins 7-0.
Senior Marko Ilic has saved his best for last in his senior season in 2021. Ilic earned 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Year honors in addition to earning his third All-OVC First Team honor. The Zagreb, Croatia native ranks fourth in program history in career singles victories with 58 and has compiled a 13-4 singles record in 2021.
While the NCAA Tournament will be uncharted territory for his teammates, Marko Ilic is no stranger to college tennis' biggest stage. In 2019, Ilic and partner Hendrik Inno advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Doubles Championship held at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. The duo defeated Florida's McClain Kessler and Duarte Vale in straight sets 7-6, 7-6 before falling to No. 2 seed Maxime Cressy and Keegan Smith of UCLA.
Junior Arthur Toledo and freshman Tomas Luis have been key for Belmont's success in 2021, where both earned a spot on the All-OVC Second Team. Starting the season with a singles victory over Vanderbilt's Max Freeman, Toledo currently has a 13-3 record in singles play and an 8-4 record in doubles play. The Belo Horizonte, Brazil native earned OVC Player of the Week honors on Feb. 3, beginning a streak of five of the first six weekly selections being Belmont student-athletes.
Luis has a 10-7 record in singles play and an 11-2 record in doubles play with freshman Diego Castro, who clinched the deciding match to give Belmont the OVC title over Tennessee Tech. The Tavira, Portugal native also earned OVC Player of the Week honors on March 17.
Ilic and Taisei Miyamoto in addition with freshmen Tomas Luis and Diego Castro have been lights out for Belmont in the doubles portion of the season. Both sets of doubles teams have reached 11 wins in 2021, the 12th-most in program history for a single season. If either team obtains another doubles win this season, they will move into a tie with Renato Antun/Rafael Matos (2011-12) for 11th in program history for a single season.
NCAA Tournament Guide
At the age of 28, Belmont Director of Tennis Mauricio Antun is the youngest coach in the 2021 NCAA Tennis Championships. Prior to his coaching career, Antun ranks among the all-time great players in Belmont history. After two seasons at Virginia Tech, the Brazil native was named 2014 OVC Player of the Year in leading the Bruins to the league title. Antun's 79 combined victories between singles and doubles - and .888 career conference winning percentage - top the program record book.
The Bruins have held their own against competition from Power 5 opponents, showcasing that earlier this season. Junior Arthur Toledo's singles victory over Vanderbilt's Max Freeman marked the second consecutive season where a Belmont men's tennis player claimed a victory over an opponent from a Power 5 school.
First serve is set for 3 p.m., with live stats and live video being available courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics.
