The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Netters Ranked No. 6 In Preseason National Rankings
1/10/2006 | Men's Tennis
Jan. 10, 2006
OXFORD, Miss. - For the 12th consecutive year, the Ole Miss men's tennis team will begin the season ranked among the nation's top 10, grabbing the No. 6 spot in the preseason Fila Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national team rankings, released Tuesday. Four singles players and two doubles' teams also earned national rankings.
Ole Miss is one of four teams from the nation's toughest conference (SEC) to be ranked in the top 10. Virginia, who returns their entire team from last year, secured the top spot in the rankings, followed by Florida, Georgia, Illinois and UCLA. Following the Rebels at No. 6 is Baylor, Duke, Pepperdine and LSU. The SEC leads the nation with eight teams ranked in the top 25.
In 2005, the Rebels captured their second consecutive SEC Championship, won their fourth straight SEC Western Division title, advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the fourth time and ended the year ranked No. 3 in the nation.
"We are excited to begin another season ranked among the nation's top 10," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "While Virginia has a great team, we feel that Florida and Georgia are perhaps the two best teams in the country.
"This will be another great year for the SEC, so we will have our work cut out to three-peat as SEC Champions. We had a strong showing in the fall, and it's reflected in the rankings. Our strength will be our depth. We are strong from top to bottom."
The Rebels boast four players in the singles rankings led by junior Eric Claesson, who is ranked No. 22. He finished the fall with a 14-4 record, including defeating nine nationally-ranked players.
Right behind Claesson is sophomore Erling Tveit, who earned a ranking of No. 26. An All-SEC honoree as a freshman in 2005, Tveit posted an 11-3 record last fall and captured the Southeast Regional Championships.
The lone senior on this year's squad, Juan Pablo Di Cesare, earned his highest ranking ever, coming in at No. 43. He had an outstanding junior campaign going 21-3 in dual matches, and continued in the fall with a 10-6 record.
Sophomore Bram ten Berge earned his first ever national ranking in singles at No. 83. He clinched the win over Georgia that put the Rebels in the NCAA Final Four last year and is off to a great start this year, with an 11-5 record in the fall.
In the doubles rankings, Claesson and Tveit earned a ranking of No. 40, while Di Cesare and ten Berge are ranked No. 50.
Claesson and Di Cesare will compete at the National Collegiate Tennis Classic this weekend in California. The season begins in earnest next week at the SEC Indoor Championships in Lexington, Ky. The Rebels' first dual match will be Jan. 27 at home against Louisville.
