The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis To Host Louisville In Season Opener
1/25/2006 | Men's Tennis
Jan. 25, 2006
OXFORD, Miss. - The No. 6 nationally-ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team kicks off its season Friday against 32nd-ranked Louisville. The match will be played indoors at the Gillom Sports Center at 2 p.m.
The Rebels are coming off one of the best seasons in the history of the program in 2005, after advancing to the NCAA Final Four and winning their second consecutive SEC Championship and fourth straight SEC West title.
Ole Miss was a unanimous pick to win the SEC West in the 2006 preseason coaches poll. The Rebels return five of the top six from last year's squad and have added three newcomers who are expected to contribute.
"We are looking forward to beginning another season," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "The returning guys are excited about competing for a third straight SEC Championship, and we have added some outstanding newcomers, who will help us this year.
"The Cardinals return the nucleus of their NCAA team, so we expect a tough match. The fans were a huge part of last season's success, and we want to encourage everyone to come check out the 2006 Rebel edition."
Louisville comes in with a 3-0 record. They opened the season with a 5-2 win over Northwestern and then posted back-to-back shutouts over Morehead State and Southern Illinois last Saturday.
The Cardinals finished the 2005 season with a 22-10 overall record and received the program's second consecutive at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Notre Dame in the first round before losing to fifth-ranked Illinois in the second.
Leading the way for the Rebels in 2006 will be sophomore Erling Tveit and junior Eric Claesson. Tveit is ranked No. 26 in the nation and comes into Friday's match with an 11-3 record. He had an outstanding debut as a freshman last year, posting a 21-2 dual match record and earning All-SEC honors while playing No. 3 singles.
Claesson is perhaps one of the most improved players in the nation, with a national ranking of No. 22 and a 19-6 record this year.
Also back for the Rebels are sophomores Bram ten Berge and Jakob Klaeson. In 2005, the pair teamed up to go 18-9 in doubles, and ten Berge clinched the win over Georgia that sent the Rebels to the NCAA Final Four.
New to the team this season are transfers Chris Rea and Robbye Poole (both with ties to Mississippi) and freshman Amhed El Tabakh.
Rea transferred from Southern Mississippi, where he played No. 2 and 3 singles for the Golden Eagles. He posted an 11-4 record in the fall.
Poole joined the team in January, coming from Clemson. He went 9-2 overall and 7-1 in dual matches as a freshman at Clemson to help the Tigers to the NCAA Elite Eight and a final national ranking of No. 25.
El Tabakh comes from a successful junior background where he was a finalist at the Eddie Herr Championships and a semifinalist at the Orange Bowl Championships.
Admission to all home matches is free.
