10/15/2026 12:15:00 PM | General
The doubles team went undefeated at the ITA Mountain Region Championship to earn NCAA Championship automatic bid
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV men's tennis sophomore Marko Maksimovic and redshirt sophomore Arda Karakas were jointly named the Raising Cane's Outstanding Rebels of the Week, the school announced Thursday.
The doubles tandem became the first men's tennis players to earn the award for the 2026-27 academic year.
The award goes to the student-athlete who turned in the best individual performance during the previous week of competition from Monday through Sunday as voted on by the UNLV Athletics Strategic Communications department.
Karakas, who comes from Izmir, Turkey, and Maksimovic, hailing from Belgrade, Serbia, went 5-0 to win the ITA Mountain Region Men's Tennis Championship in Provo, Utah. Additionally, they earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Doubles Championships on Nov. 17 in Athens, Georgia.Â
On the way to capturing the program's first-ever regional doubles championship and first NCAA doubles entry since 2011, the top-seeded Rebel pair defeated Montana's Matthew Upton and Duncan McCall 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the title match.
2026-27 Outstanding Rebel of the Week Award Winners
Sept. 3 - Hugo Lemos, Men's SoccerÂ
Sept. 10 - Tre Fulton, FootballÂ
Sept. 16 - Hugo Lemos, Men's SoccerÂ
Sept. 24 - Kamryn Scroggins, Women's Volleyball
Oct. 1 - Kuree Little, Women's GolfÂ
Oct. 8 - Maxim Scordo, Men's SoccerÂ
Oct. 15 - Marko Maksimovic & Arda Karakas, Men's Tennis
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