The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Troy
Rebel Netters Defeat Troy 5-1 To Win Eighth Straight
3/23/2005 | Men's Tennis
March 23, 2005
OXFORD, Miss. - The No. 6 nationally-ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team did what all great teams do. The Rebels were pushed, but found a way to defeat Troy University 5-1, Wednesday afternoon at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center to improve to 14-1 overall and win their eighth straight as they head into the biggest road trip of the season this weekend.
Ole Miss, who won its 21st straight regular season home match dating back to April 6, 2003, must now get ready to face No. 21 Tennessee in Knoxville Friday, and No. 7 Georgia Sunday in Athens. Both teams are tied with Ole Miss, Florida and Mississippi State atop the SEC standings at 4-0.
The weather didn't cooperate Wednesday, delaying the match nearly two hours as the teams waited for the courts to dry. Once play begin, the two teams elected to start with the singles. Troy gained a 1-0 lead after Marko Despot defeated Rebel freshman Jakob Klaeson, 6-2, 6-4 at No. 4 singles. That, however, would be it for the Trojans, despite putting up a valiant effort at several positions.
Junior Juan Pablo Di Cesare stayed undefeated in dual matches at 12-0 with his dominating performance against Troy's Robert Van Swelm on court five. Di Cesare won 6-1, 6-1 to even the match.
Sophomore Eric Claesson held a 5-1 lead in the first set against Trojan Daniel Quiceno and seemed to be cruising. Quiceno would rally to tie it up, but Claesson prevailed in a tiebreaker and cruised in the second, 6-2, to make it 2-1 Ole Miss.
The nation's No. 3 ranked player, Catalin Gard, defeated last year's Atlantic-Sun Player of the Year, Irving Morales, 6-0, 7-6(3) to increase the Rebel lead to 3-1. Gard improved to 13-1 at No. 1 singles and now needs just two wins to become the third Rebel to record 100 career victories.
Karim Alayli came back to beat Artur Muller, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 on court six to clinch the win. Fredrik Aarum rallied to defeat Emir Basic, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) for the final 5-1 score.
"This was a very close match and exactly what we needed," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "We are better prepared to face Tennessee and Georgia. My hats off to Troy, they played really well and pushed us in several matches."
The Rebels and Vols will square off Friday at 4 p.m. CT. Tennessee is 9-2 overall and undefeated in league play. The Vols are led by Mark Dietrich, who is ranked No. 53 in the nation with a 10-4 overall record, 7-3 at No. 1 singles. Their No. 1 doubles team of sophomores Ockie Oosthuizen and Ben Rogers, is ranked No. 7 in doubles in the ITA rankings. They are 24-4 overall, 9-0 at No. 1 doubles and have won seven straight.
Ole Miss has won three straight in the series against Tennessee, including last year's 5-2 win in Oxford. The last time the two teams met in Knoxville, the Rebels won a tight 4-3 match.
"Our upcoming road trip will be the toughest one in a couple of years," Chadwick said. "Tennessee plays extremely tough at home, and Georgia is always one of the top teams in the country. This will be a very difficult weekend for us."
SINGLES
#1 Catalin Gard (OM) def. Irving Morales (TROY) 6-0, 7-6(5)
#2 Eric Claesson (OM) def. Daniel Quiceno (TROY) 7-6, 6-2
#3 Fredrik Aarum (OM) def. Emir Basic (TROY) 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(5)
#4 Marko Despot (TROY) def. Jakob Klaeson (OM) 6-2, 6-4
#5 Juan Pablo Di Cesare (OM) def. Robert Van Swelm (TROY) 6-1, 6-1
#6 Karim Alayli (OM) def. Artur Muller (TROY) 4-6, 6-1, 6-0
Did not play doubles.
