The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis Seeks Sixth Straight Mississippi Cup
2/8/2005 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 8, 2005
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss men's tennis team remained No. 6 in Tuesday's ITA National Rankings as they get ready to battle arch-rival Mississippi State in the eighth annual River Hills Mississippi Cup Thursday in Jackson. The two teams will square off beginning at 5 p.m., at the River Hills Tennis Club.
Ole Miss is off to a good start in 2005, posting their second straight shutout last weekend, with a 7-0 win over Tennessee Tech. Senior Catalin Gard, who is ranked No. 1 in the nation, leads the Rebels with an 11-2 overall record. Gard, the 2004 SEC Player of the Year, has never lost to Mississippi State in a team match in his four years.
"We are looking forward to Thursday's match," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "This has become an exciting event for the fans of both schools. They (MSU) have added some talented newcomers as we have, so I expect it to be a tough match. The guys have been working hard in practice, and the newcomers are excited about experiencing their first taste of this rivalry."
Fans in the Jackson area who come to the match will have the opportunity to see the Rebels' three outstanding freshmen, Bram ten Berge (Maarssen, the Netherlands), Jakob Klaeson (Lidkoping, Sweden) and Erling Tveit (Oslo, Norway). All three are a combined 8-0 in singles and doubles in the Rebels' first two matches.
Mississippi State comes into the match ranked No. 37 in the nation with a 2-1 record. The Bulldogs posted 6-1 wins over New Orleans and UAB before dropping a 4-3 match to 40th-ranked Louisville last Saturday. State is led by senior Luiz Carvalho, who owns a 9-8 overall record, 1-2 at No. 1 singles. Carvalho and his doubles partner, Jose Carlos Pinto, is ranked No. 10 in the nation in doubles. The pair boasts a 12-5 overall record, 3-0 at No. 1 doubles.
Thursday's match will be the eighth Mississippi Cup. Mississippi State claimed victory in the first two (1998, 1999), but Ole Miss has won the last five, including back-to-back shutouts (4-0). In last year's meeting, the Rebels won a close doubles point, and then got wins from 2004 seniors Paul Ciorascu and Claes Lindholm to go ahead 3-0. Senior Catalin Gard gutted out a three-set win over Bulldog All-American Romain Ambert to clinch the 4-0 win.
Ole Miss owns a 13-match winning streak in the overall series. The streak dates back to the 1999 regular season meeting.
For ticket information, fans can call (601) 987-4438.
