The Legacy Continues

By Kim Ling
Associate Director, Athletics Media Relations

When you think of Ole Miss men's tennis, names like Dave Randall, Joakim Appelqvist, Mahesh Bhupathi, Johan Hede, Sebastien DeChaunac, Alex Hartman and Catalin Gard come to mind. They are some of the great players who have held the No. 1 position for the Rebel netters. All of them left an indelible mark on the program. Junior Erling Tveit is well on his way to joining that list.

In just two seasons, the 6-foot-3 left-hander from Oslo, Norway, has made headlines across the nation. Tveit arrived in Oxford in January of 2005 and quickly began making a name for himself.

"I had the opportunity to watch Erling hit with teammate Fredrik Aarum in Oslo," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "I was extremely impressed and knew he had the potential to be very good. He has not only proved that he is an outstanding player, but Erling has become the leader of this team."

In his first semester, Tveit played No. 3 singles for the Rebels and turned in a veteran-like performance, going 10-1 in the SEC and 21-2 overall in helping lead the Rebels to the SEC Championship and the NCAA Final Four. He earned All-SEC honors in the nation's top conference.

"I was playing pretty good in the fall leading up to the spring," Tveit said. "But, I didn't expect to do that well. I thought I was going to be fighting for a spot at five or six. I started out playing No. 3 and kept winning. That gave me a lot of confidence.

"It was a lot of fun. I love playing team tennis. It was a new experience for me, but to be able to be a key player in winning the SEC Championship and reaching the NCAA Final Four was great."

Coming from Norway to Oxford Tveit had no idea what he had thrust himself into. He figured it out one Sunday in April of his freshman year.

"I didn't know much about the SEC or college tennis before I came here," Tveit said. "I remember when we played Florida (April 10, 2005), basically for the SEC Championship. The tennis center was packed, and right away, we took the doubles point from them. The whole place was going nuts. It was so much fun."

As a freshman, Tveit enjoyed playing in the shadow of three-time All-American Catalin Gard.

After Gard graduated following the 2005 season, Tveit earned his chance at No. 1 singles in 2006, and despite stepping into some big shoes, he didn't disappoint. An All-American, Tveit led the Rebels to their fifth consecutive SEC Western Division Championship and the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen." He also became the fourth player in Rebel tennis history to advance to the NCAA Semifinals in singles.

"It's tough because every team has a good No. 1 player," Tveit said. "When I was playing three, Cat got all the attention, so I didn't feel as much pressure. It's a lot more pressure at No. 1. You have to be ready to fight. You don't get anything for free. Still, I had a lot of fun."

Tveit became only the second Rebel to reach the Final Four in singles as a sophomore and said he was somewhat surprised by his run at the NCAA Championships.

"I did not feel like I was playing well towards the end of the regular season. I was struggling, so my expectations for the NCAAs were not high. I started playing well in the NCAA Regional, especially against Florida State. I got on a roll from there."

As noted earlier, Ole Miss has had its share of great players over the years. Tveit said he's happy with the early success of his career, but he takes nothing for granted.

"I imagined myself playing No. 1 my senior year. I've had more success earlier than I thought I would have. I realize expectations are for me to do the same thing this year. I don't want to be ranked high and then fall in the rankings. I will keep developing my game and work hard to maintain my position."

In addition to his semifinal appearance at the NCAAs, Tveit was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete and made the SEC Academic Honor Roll. He entered this season ranked No. 8 in the nation and headlines a team who returns five of its top six from a year ago. Thus it's no surprise big things are expected in 2007.

"This coming year is going to be a big one," Tveit said. "Our expectations are high as always. We want to be competing for an SEC and NCAA Championship."

With two more years left, Tveit hopes to create more memories just like the one he fondly recalled from his freshman year.

"I wouldn't change a thing. I can't believe I only have two more years. I just want to enjoy my last two years and make the most of them. Tennis has never been this fun."

The Rebel nation would agree. And, some day when they talk about the great ones at Ole Miss, Tveit's name will be among them.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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