While football grabs most of the headlines this time of year, several Ole Miss programs quietly put together productive weeks on the range and on the tennis court.
Here’s a look around Rebel athletics:
Rifle wins another tight one
The Ole Miss rifle team continues to make a habit of winning close matches.
The Rebels edged Georgia Southern, 4723-4717, on Saturday in Oxford, surviving a strong air rifle performance from the Eagles thanks to an early advantage in smallbore.
Audrey Gogniat once again led the way, posting an aggregate score of 1186 to finish first overall. She delivered a team-best 592 in smallbore and followed it with a 594 in air rifle to pace the Rebels.
The depth might have been just as important.
Ole Miss placed four shooters among the top six individual finishers. Gracie Dinh finished fourth with an 1181 aggregate score, while Jordan de Jesus and Kamdyn McFarland each shot 1178. Regan Diamond added an 1166.
The Rebels built their winning margin during the smallbore portion of the competition, posting a 2349 compared to Georgia Southern’s 2337. The Eagles answered by winning air rifle 2380-2374, but Ole Miss had already created enough separation to hold on.
For a team that continues to stack victories, Saturday was another reminder that balance throughout the lineup matters just as much as individual stars.
Men’s tennis riding historic momentum
It’s hard to have a much better fall than Ole Miss men’s tennis has enjoyed.
The Rebels are headed to the ITF Norman tournament this week fresh off a historic showing at the ITA Southern Regional Championship, where they accomplished something no Southern Region team had ever done before.
Ole Miss swept all three available NCAA qualifying spots.
Niccolo Baroni and Igor Kudriashov earned the region’s two singles qualifying positions, while Moritz Kudernatsch and Pietro Pampanin secured the doubles berth.
That performance alone would have made for a memorable fall. Instead, the Rebels are keeping the momentum going.
Baroni is the lone Ole Miss representative competing this week in Norman, where players will face professional-level competition and chase ATP ranking points. It provides another valuable opportunity as the Rebels continue preparing for the spring season.
At this point, the bigger takeaway is that Ole Miss continues to establish itself as one of the stronger programs in the region heading into 2027.
Women’s tennis heads back to competition
After a week off, Ole Miss women’s tennis returns to action at the ITF W15 Sumter event.
The Rebels will send four players to the tournament: juniors Alice Battesti and Alice Soulie, along with freshmen Lena Thomas Iglesias and Sarah Victoria Majesty Nita.
Battesti enters with plenty of momentum after advancing to the finals of her previous tournament, a result that earned her a spot in the NCAA Singles Championships.
For the younger players, the week provides another chance to gain experience against strong competition. For Battesti and Soulie, it is an opportunity to continue building toward the postseason.
The fall schedule is quickly winding down, but Ole Miss still has several opportunities ahead, including the ITA Sectionals in Knoxville and the June Pruitt Invitational in Nashville early next month.
For now, the tennis programs and rifle team continue doing exactly what coaches want this time of year: making steady progress before the spotlight gets a little brighter.
