Rebel Netters Earn National Recognition

Sept. 6, 2005

OXFORD, Miss. - Members of the Ole Miss men's tennis team earned national recognition as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its preseason individual rankings for the 2005-06 year, Tuesday.

Three players and one doubles team earned spots in the national rankings, led by sophomore Erling Tveit, who came in at No. 43 in singles. Tveit, who earned All-SEC honors as a freshman in 2005, is one of seven players from the SEC to be among the top 50 in singles. The Oslo, Norway, native finished with a 22-3 record in his debut season and went 9-2 in the nation's toughest conference (SEC) at No. 3 singles.

Junior Eric Claesson earned a ranking of No. 110. Claesson, a native of Bastad, Sweden, made a big jump in the lineup in 2005, playing No. 2 for the Rebels in singles and No. 1 in doubles. He ended the year ranked No. 13 in the country in doubles and qualified for the NCAA Doubles Championships.

Senior Juan Pablo Di Cesare had an outstanding season last year with a 30-9 overall record and was rewarded with a preseason ranking of No. 116.

In doubles, Tveit and Claesson team up for a ranking of No. 21. In addition to playing No. 3 singles, Tveit teamed with Fredrik Aarum at No. 2 doubles and posted a 14-8 record.

Ole Miss returns six of the top seven from last year's outstanding team. In addition to capturing the overall SEC Championship in 2005 for the second year in a row, and claiming their fourth straight SEC West title, the Rebels advanced to the NCAA Final Four and ended the year ranked No. 3 in the nation.

The Rebels will begin the fall this weekend by hosting the Ole Miss Fall Classic in Tunica, Miss. Di Cesare, Claesson and newcomer Christopher Rea will compete for the Rebels.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

Related Videos