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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Six Straight Titles ... Visions of More
11/9/2007 | Men's Tennis
By Kim Ling
Associate Athletics Media Relations Director
Boxing great Muhammad Ali once said Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision. For the Rebel tennis team, every year begins with visions of trophies and rings.
This might sound presumptuous to some, but consider the following: The Rebels have won the SEC West six straight years. They have won the SEC Championship two of the last four years. Under head coach Billy Chadwick, the Rebels have reached the NCAA Finals (1995) and the NCAA Final Four four times.
The 2007 SEC West Champions finished second in the overall standings behind NCAA Champion Georgia, and finished ranked No.7 in the nation. Since 2003, the Rebels have finished no lower than second in the overall SEC standings, (a feat no other league school can claim), while capturing back-to-back overall conference crowns in 2004 and 2005.
“We are proud of the fact that during this time, the team has consistently won the Chancellor’s Cup (awarded to men’s varsity team with highest GPA), and last year, the team being the only top 10 team in the nation to receive the ITA All-Academic Team Award,” head coach Billy Chadwick said.
At the heart of all this success are the players, whose dreams and desires to win championships, supersede anything else. Individual accomplishments are numerous, but the goal always remain the same--win the SEC West, win the overall SEC Championship, win the SEC Tournament and contend for the national championship.
This year’s team features five seniors: Erling Tveit, Robbye Poole, Matthias Wellermann, Jakob Klaeson and Chris Rea.
“All of these players have played a major role in the success of this program,” Chadwick said. “They have their sights set on an SEC Championship and NCAA Championship.”
Six of the top seven return in 2008, in addition to 2006 All-SEC Bram ten Berge, who redshirted last season. The lineup features two All-Americans and five All-SEC honorees. So it’s not surprising that their goals are high.
Leading the way will be senior Erling Tveit who has played a major role in one SEC Championship as well as an NCAA Final Four. He entered the fall as the No. 7 player in the nation in singles and ranked No. 20 in doubles with Jonas Berg. The pair recently showed they’re one of the top teams in the nation by reaching the finals of the prestigious All-American Championships and also claiming the doubles title at the Baylor Invitational.
Fellow senior Robbye Poole has risen to become one of the top players in college tennis, earning All-America honors last season. As a result, he received a preseason national ranking of No. 18 in singles. He will be counted on to provide leadership in 2008.
A major contributor to the Rebels success in 2005 and 2006 is junior Bram ten Berge, who returns after redshirting last season. Bram ten Berge played No. 3 singles for the Rebels in 2006 and earned All-SEC honors as well as being named the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year for men’s tennis.
Matthias Wellermann debuted last year, and played as high as No. 3 for part of the season, but was hampered with back problems. After extensive rehab and rest over the summer he is healthy and the Rebels will be counting on him in both singles and doubles.
Two of the most consistent players in the SEC, were newcomers, Jonas Berg and Kalle Norberg. The two combined for over 40 wins in the spring of 2007. Berg went 20-1 overall, which included becoming the third player in Ole Miss men’s tennis history to go undefeated in league play.
Norberg was 22-2 in dual match play and was always at his best when the match was on the line. He was the deciding match in wins over LSU and
What makes a great team is quality depth, and the Rebels will be counting on senior Jakob Klaeson, who was instrumental in singles and doubles in the Rebels capturing the SEC West and reaching the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 2007. He teamed with senior Chris Rea to be ranked as high as 10th in the country. Rea is presently rehabbing a back injury but should be ready for action in the spring.
Fans who enjoyed watching last year’s team, will enjoy it even more this year with an exciting schedule, highlighted by a showdown with
With one of the most talented lineups in the country led by All-Americans and All-SEC players from top to bottom, the 2008 Rebel tennis team has visions of hoisting another SEC Championship trophy and making their stay in the NCAA Championships a long one.