One Team ... One Mission

Win the SEC West ... Win the overall SEC Championship ... Win the SEC Tournament Championship ... Contend for the National Championship.  That is the mission for Ole Miss men’s tennis in 2007. 

Lofty goals, but consider the following: the Rebels have won the SEC West five straight years.  They have won the SEC Championship two of the last three years.  Under head coach Billy Chadwick, the Rebels have reached the NCAA Final Four four times.

In 2006, the Rebels captured their fifth consecutive SEC West title and advanced to the NCAA “Sweet Sixteen”, with only one senior and one junior in the lineup.

This year’s squad is experienced. Six of the top seven from last year are back, including two All-Americans, three All-SEC players and more than 100 wins in singles.

Three talented newcomers have joined the mix to make this one of the deepest teams ever fielded at Ole Miss.

Leading the way at the top are All-Americans Erling Tveit and Eric Claesson.

One of the top freshmen in the country in 2005, Tveit followed up his stellar debut with an outstanding campaign in 2006, advancing to the NCAA Singles semifinals.  In his first season at No. 1 singles, Tveit went 18-4, including 8-3 in the SEC. 

Tveit won some crucial matches as a freshman and again last year.  Most notably, he rallied from down 5-2 in the third set to clinch the win over Mississippi State for the SEC West crown.  While his big left-handed serve and forehand are his main weapons, it is his steely nature on the court that makes him so hard to beat, especially when the match is on the line.

"Erling has developed into one of the top players in the nation in both singles and doubles,” Chadwick said. “He has also established himself as one who is always in control of every situation on the court and has established the reputation of a great sportsman.”

A feisty competitor who lays it all out there, Claesson is the lone senior on this year’s team.  He has been a huge contributor his first three seasons, including clinching the SEC Championship as a freshman. 

In 2006, Claesson had his best season as a Rebel.  In addition to earning All-America and All-SEC honors, Claesson went 16-5 at No. 2 singles, including 7-3 in the SEC.   He and Tveit also formed one of the top doubles teams in the country. 

A great leader on the court, the team will rely on Claesson’s determination and competitive spirit in 2007.

“Eric is a winner and is at his best in team matches,” Chadwick said.  “He is the heart of  the team and always gives 100 percent.”

The Rebels boast six juniors on the team, including Robbye Poole.  After transferring here from Clemson, Poole made an immediate impact last year. 

He went a combined 14-6 in singles and doubles against SEC foes.  Poole continued his excellent play in the summer and fall, posting several solid wins in USTA play.  With his excellent work ethic and tremendous athletic ability, the coaches look for him to become one of the top players in the SEC this year.

"Robbye is one of the most improved players in all of college tennis,” Chadwick said.  “He has made great strides in all areas of his tennis, especially his mental approach to the game.  We look for him to have an outstanding year.”

Jakob Klaeson made significant improvement in his game last year and has become a key part of the Rebels’ success in singles and doubles. 

He posted an 18-6 record in dual matches.  Klaeson went 13-7 at No. 6 singles, including 6-3 in the SEC.  He also posted some excellent doubles results this past fall.  After going 11-3 in doubles with Poole last year, he teamed with Chris Rea in the fall to earn a top 10 national ranking.

Ranked No. 79 in singles at the beginning of the spring, Chadwick expects an even better year from Klaeson.

“Jakob is a great doubles player,” Chadwick said. “He has an outstanding serve and an excellent return, but his real gift is that special quality that always brings out the best in his doubles partner.  His success in doubles has carried over into his singles where he had a great fall.”

With an outstanding work ethic in everything he does, Bram ten Berge has become a major contributor to the Rebels’ success.   Last year he played in the top half of the lineup and won some big matches for the Rebels. 

ten Berge earned All-SEC second team honors and clinched the win over Florida State to put the Rebels in the NCAA “Sweet Sixteen.”

The coaches expect another solid season from the 2006 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

“Bram is a force in both singles and doubles possessing a powerful all-court game,” Chadwick said.  “He is a very consistent performer who has remained undefeated in singles play for all home matches (14-0) during his career.”

One player who is excited to finally be on the court for the Rebels is Chris Rea of Madison, Miss.  Rea competed in the fall of 2005, but missed all of last spring with a knee injury.  He had surgery in April of 2006 and after rehabbing all summer, enjoyed another successful fall. 

An excellent doubles player, Rea also gives the Rebels quality depth in singles.                 

“Chris is also one of the most improved players in the country,” Chadwick said.  “He has worked hard to overcome his knee problem and is now at 100 percent. He had a stellar fall in both singles and doubles.  He is a great addition to the team.”

The Rebels are also happy to have senior Fredrik Aarum back.  He made a significant contribution during his first two years.

“Freddy was instrumental in our winning the SEC Championship and reaching the NCAA Final Four in 2005.  He will provide additional depth and championship experience to the squad.”

The Rebels lost only one player off last year’s SEC West Champion team and gained three, who are all expected to make an immediate impact.

Matthias Wellermann is eligible this January after sitting out the 2006 season.  The Rebels’ first signee from Germany, Wellermann brings plenty of experience on the international circuit.  He achieved a top ranking of No. 45 in the ITF Rankings and was ranked No. 5 in Germany (has produced several of the top collegiate players in the past few years) in 18s.  The coaches are excited to see him play and expect big things from him in singles and doubles.

“Matthias stands at 6-7 and with his big game has the potential to be one of the best in the country,” Chadwick said.  “He has had to work through several injuries the last two years (knee and shoulder), but is now healthy.”

Jonas Berg joined the team in January after transferring from Pepperdine.  Berg played one season at Pepperdine in 2005. He helped lead the Wave to the NCAA Quarterfinals and a final national ranking of No. 8.  Berg was named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and clinched the team’s WCC Championship.

“We are very fortunate to have a player of Jonas’ caliber join the team,” Chadwick said. “He is a complete player with  an all-court game and lots of experience.  He will be a tremendous asset.”

Kalle Norberg also came on board in January as one of the top recruits.  Norberg ranked No. 2 in Sweden in under 18 and No. 100 in the ITF Rankings.  He played in the 2005 U.S. Open Junior Championships.

“Kalle is the top recruit from Sweden and possesses a wealth of talent, Chadwick said.  “He combines aggressive play with consistency and has a clean’ hit on the ball.  Our fans will appreciate his approach to the game as he truly loves to compete.”

In addition to three new players, the Rebels also have a new assistant coach in Toby Hansson. Hansson, a native of Bjrred, Sweden, was an assistant coach at Texas Tech in 2004-05, where he helped lead the Red Raiders to the NCAA final 16 and their best season ever. The team finished with a 25-4 record, and was ranked as high as top 10 at one point during the year.

One of the top collegiate players during his career at SMU, Hansson earned All-America honors in singles and doubles.

The schedule is another daunting one, as always.  After a five-match homestand to begin the season, the Rebels will face arch-rival Mississippi State in the annual River Hills Mississippi Cup in Jackson, Miss.

The team earned its 14th consecutive invitation to the prestigious USTA/ITA National Team Indoor.  The event will take place Feb. 16-19 at the Midtown Tennis Center in Chicago.

The National Team Indoor is regarded as the second-best tournament in the nation behind the NCAA Championships. The Rebels are the only SEC team to have qualified for the National Team Indoor 14 straight years and have the third-longest consecutive appearance streak in the nation behind perennial national powers UCLA and Duke.

Ole Miss has reached the semifinals of this event two of the last three years and four times overall.   The last time the tournament was held in Chicago (2004) the Rebels reached the semifinals.

For the second year in a row, the Rebels will kick off the SEC season against Florida, March 2.  This time, though, the match will be at home, where the team came into the season having won 32 of of its last 33 matches at home.  The weekend concludes with South Carolina March 4.   

The following weekend, the Rebels will head to Alabama (March 9) and Auburn (March 11).

Ole Miss was a consensus pick to win its sixth consecutive SEC Western Division Championship in the 2007 Preseason Coaches Poll.  The team has won five straight SEC West titles going 24-1 against Western Division foes since 2002.

Following Spring Break, the Rebels will return home for two big weekends with Vanderbilt (March 23) and Kentucky (March 30) up first.  The team’s final homestand includes LSU (March 30) and Arkansas (April 1). 

If the Rebels are going to accomplish the first part of their mission, it could come down to the final two weekends of play.

On April 6, the Rebels will face Tennessee, followed by a huge match at preseason No. 1 Georgia on April 8.  The regular season concludes at Mississippi State on April 14.

The SEC Championships will be played in Baton Rouge at LSU.  The NCAA Finals return to a familiar site this year, Athens, Ga.

With six of the top seven back and three highly touted newcomers, at the end of the year the Rebels just be might saying “Mission Complete.”

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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