REBEL NEWS

NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS
May 11-12, 2007
Oxford, Miss. Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center
#7 Ole Miss (22-4) vs. Jacksonville State (16-6)

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Rebels earned the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Team Championships and will host an NCAA Regional for the seventh year in a row and the eighth time in nine years. Coming to Oxford this weekend for the four-team regional are Jacksonville State, Minnesota and South Alabama. All matches will be played at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. Tickets for the regional are $10 for a two-day pass, $7 for single day tickets and $5 for students.

FOLLOW THE REBS ON THE WEB
All of Ole Miss' matches during the tournament can be followed live on the web by going to www.olemisssports.com and clicking on the NCAA Championships logo.

OLE MISS MAKES 14TH STRAIGHT NCAA APPEARANCE
Ole Miss is making its 14th consecutive NCAA appearance and 16th overall. It also marks the seventh year in a row and eighth time in nine years for the Rebels to host a regional. The Rebels first made the NCAA Championships in 1989 and then again in 1992. They began their climb toward the top in 1994, with their third NCAA appearance and have been to the NCAAs every year since.

REBS AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Rebels own a 30-15 overall record in NCAA competition. They have advanced to the "Sweet Sixteen" 11 times, the Elite Eight seven times, the Final Four four times and the Final in 1995.

A YEAR AGO AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Ole Miss advanced to the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" for the 11th time in the history of the program in 2006. The Rebels defeated Belmont 4-0 and Florida State 4-2 to advance to the final 16 in Palo Alto, Calif. Once there, the Rebels lost to Texas, 4-1.

HOSTING A REGIONAL FOR THE EIGHTH TIME
The Rebels are hosting a regional for the seventh year in a row and eighth time in nine years. Ole Miss welcomes Jacksonville State, Minnesota and South Alabama the two-day event. The Rebels first hosted a regional in 1999 and have hosted every year since, except 2000. Ole Miss will face Jacksonville State in the first round Friday at 4 p.m. Minnesota and South Alabama will play at 1 p.m. The final will be Saturday at 1 p.m., with the winner advancing to the round of 16 in Athens, Ga., May 17.

REBS AT HOME IN NCAA COMPETITION
The Rebels are 14-2 at home in NCAA competition. They have hosted a regional every year since 1999 except in 2000. See page 5 for Ole Miss' complete NCAA results.

SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE
Jacksonville State comes into the regional at 16-6 overall. They finished 8-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Gamecocks are making their second NCAA Tournament appearance and their second appearance against the Rebels in Oxford. JSU dropped a 4-0 decision at to the Rebels in its first ever NCAA appearance on May 14, 2005. JSU Freshman Eduardo Saratt, after dropping the first two matches of his career this season, has rattled off a school-record 17-straight wins, passing former Gamecock Vedran Sirola's previous record of 14-straight wins. Four of the six players in the Gamecocks' lineup earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors this season, with Scott Robertson and Bernardo Bachino claiming first-team honors and Andres Amores and Eduardo Saratt being named to the second team. Head Coach Steve Bailey was selected as the league's Coach of the Year.

DEJA VU
This will be the second time in three years for the Rebels to face Jacksonville State in the first round of the NCAA Championships. In 2005, the Rebels downed the Gamecocks 4-0 in the first round of the NCAA Championships on their way to the NCAA Final Four. Complete results from previous meeting below.

NCAA Regionals
May 14, 2005 Ole Miss 4 Jacksonville State 0
DOUBLES
#1 Gard/Claesson (OM) vs. Sirola/Rapson (JSU) 5-7
#2 Tveit/Aarum (OM) def. Nieto/Ricci (JSU) 8-2
#3 ten Berge/Klaeson (OM) def. Rybertt/Amores (JSU) 8-3
SINGLES
#1 Catalin Gard (OM) def. Vedran Sirola (JSU) 6-0, 6-2
#2 Eric Claesson (OM) def. Arturo Nieto (JSU) 6-1, 6-2
#3 Erling Tveit (OM) def. Rodney Rapson (JSU) 6-2, 6-2
#4 Juan Pablo Di Cesare (OM) vs. Kieran Ricci (JSU) 6-1, 2-1
#5 Fredrik Aarum (OM) vs. Christian Rybertt (JSU) 6-1, 3-2
#6 Karim Alayli (OM) vs. Andres Amores (JSU) 6-4, 1-0

AND THE WINNER GETS
The winner of the Ole Miss/Jacksonville State match will face the winner of the Minnesota/South Alabama match Saturday at 1 p.m., with the winner advancing to the "Sweet Sixteen" in Athens, Ga., May 17.

LOOKING AT THE OTHER HALF OF THE BRACKET
This is Minnesota's 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 14 years and its 19th overall. Minnesota has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen three times (1996, 1998 and 2000). The Golden Gophers (15-9) are led by junior Raoul Schwark. South Alabama is making their 11th NCAA appearance. This is the first postseason appearance for the Jaguars since 2004. Rice defeated the Jaguars 4-1 in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament in Baton Rouge, La. South Alabama (21-4) is making its second postseason appearance in Oxford. In 1999, the Jaguars lost to the Rebels in the regional final, 4-0.

AGAINST MINNESOTA AND SOUTH ALABAMA
Ole Miss is 3-0 all-time against Minnesota. The two teams last met in the 1996 NCAA round of 16 with Ole Miss winning 4-0. The last time the Rebels faced South Alabama, they downed the Jaguars 4-0 in the 1999 NCAA second round.

REBS EARN NCAA INDIVIDUAL BIDS
Erling Tveit, Robbye Poole and Eric Claesson earned bids to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships. Tveit, ranked No.13 in the nation, is seeded 9-16 and will be making his second consecutive appearance at the NCAA Singles Championships. The All-American reached the semifinals in singles last year, becoming the fourth Rebel to advance that far. Poole also received an at-large bid to the 64-player field, and will be going for the first time in his career. The junior, ranked No. 33 in the nation, earned All-SEC first team honors this season and leads the team with a 31-9 overall record. For the second year in a row, Tveit will team up with Claesson in the 32-team doubles field. The pair is ranked No. 25 in the nation with a 14-6 record at No. 1.

SEC WEST CHAMPIONS TIMES SIX!
Ole Miss clinched its sixth consecutive SEC Western Division Championship. A thrilling 4-3 win over Tennessee on April 6 and an Auburn win over LSU that weekend, assured the Rebels of the crown again. The Rebels have won the West every year since the league split into divisions in 2002. In fact, the Rebels own a 28-2 record against division foes since 2002. Ole Miss has won 19 in a row against their arch-rival Mississippi State, 20 straight versus Auburn and 18 consecutive against Arkansas.

TOP THIRD AGAIN
The Rebels finished second in the overall conference standings, marking the14th consecutive year, for Ole Miss to finish among the top third in the SEC.

LAST TIME OUT
In their last action, the Rebels fell to No.1 Georgia 4-0 in the final of the SEC Tournament. It marked the second year in a row for the Rebels to reach the SEC Tournament final and the third time in four years. Ole Miss downed Auburn 4-0 in the quarterfinal round and then defeated Florida 4-2 to advance to the final.

ALL-SEC
Four members of the Ole Miss men's tennis team earned All-SEC honors this season. Erling Tveit and Robbye Poole were named to the first team, while newcomers Jonas Berg and Kalle Norberg made the second team. All four were instrumental in the Rebels capturing their sixth consecutive SEC Western Division Championship. In addition, the Rebels finished runner-up in the overall conference standings, as well as earning a fifth-place finish at the National Team Indoor and maintaining a top 10 ranking all season. Tveit earned All-SEC honors for the third consecutive year. He becomes the sixth Rebel to be named All-SEC three years. Poole earned the honor for the first time in his career. Ranked No. 33 in the nation, he has enjoyed an outstanding campaign this spring, posting a 17-4 record, and finishing 8-2 in the SEC. Berg, a sophomore who joined the team in January, is currently 19-0 overall and became the third Rebel to go undefeated in the SEC at 11-0. He won big matches in the Rebels' wins over LSU and Tennessee, and clinched the team's 19th straight against Mississippi State. Norberg, who also joined the team in January as a freshman, owns an 20-2 dual match record, and posted an 8-1 SEC record. He clinched the wins over LSU and Tennessee for the Rebels to claim the SEC West and finish runner-up in the conference. Ole Miss had the second most selections behind SEC Champion Georgia, who received six.

20-WIN SEASONS
With the win against Mississippi State, Ole Miss clinched its ninth 20-win season and eighth under head coach Billy Chadwick. The Rebels notched their eighth 20-win season last year with a 22-6 record. In 2005, they went 25-4. The 1974 team became the first Rebel squad to notch 20 wins in a season and was the winningest team until the 1995 squad won 23 matches. In 1996, the Rebels won 21 matches, and in 1997, they won 25. In 2003, the Rebels finished 21-5 and in 2004 they went 22-5.

DOUBLES POINT=WIN
If the Rebels win the doubles point, that generally spells trouble for the opponent. Since the 2002 season, the Rebels are 98-4 when they claim the doubles point. When the Rebels drop the point, they are 28-26 since 2002.

REBELS LOVE BAGELS
Ole Miss has shut out its opponent 10 times this season. The most recent shutout came on April 20, as the Rebels downed Auburn 4-0 in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament.

IT ALL STARTS AT THE TOP
The Rebels have a deep lineup this year led by All-Americans Erling Tveit and Eric Claesson. The two are a combined 26-14 in singles and 14-6 at No. 1 doubles.

BOTTOMS UP
The bottom half of the lineup for the Rebels has been nothing short of outstanding in the team's first 26 matches. Junior Robbye Poole, freshman Kalle Norberg and sophomore Jonas Berg have combined for a 56-6 record at four, five and six.

UNDEFEATED
Sophomore Jonas Berg won two matches at the SEC Tournament and remains undefeated in dual matches at 19-0. He finished 11-0 in the SEC, becoming the third Rebel to post a perfect record in league play. Former All-American Johan Hede went undefeated in 1996 at No.1 singles on his way to being named SEC Player of the Year. All-SEC honoree Paul Ciorascu did it in 2003.

FRESHMAN ALMOST GOES UNDEFEATED
Freshman Kalle Norberg came very close to going undefeated as well. He finished the regular season 20-2 in dual matches and 8-1 in the SEC. Norberg lost his first dual match of his career against Georgia in a supertiebreaker.

POOLE SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior Robbye Poole was named the SEC Player of the Week the week of March 5 for going 4-0 in singles and doubles in leading the Rebels to wins over Florida and South Carolina. He currently leads the team with a 31-9 overall record, 17-4 in dual matches. Against then No. 13 Florida, he shut out Daniel Cash (son of tennis great Pat Cash) 6-0, 6-0 to propel the Rebels to a 5-2 win. In the South Carolina match, he needed only two sets to defeat his opponent and clinch the Rebels' eighth shutout of the year.

NATIONAL TEAM INDOOR
Ole Miss tied for fifth at the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor with wins over then No. 16 Boise State and No. 10 Pepperdine. The Rebels advanced to the quarterfinals for the 10th time in 14 consecutive appearances, before losing a heartbreaker to No. 3 Virginia. The Rebels have the third longest consecutive appearance streak in the nation behind perennial national powers UCLA and Duke.

REBELS TAKE EIGHTH STRAIGHT RIVER HILLS CUP
Ole Miss defeated arch-rival Mississippi State 4-0 on Feb. 8 to win its eighth straight River Hills Cup, including five consecutive shutouts. Ole Miss gained the doubles point and then Erling Tveit put the Rebels up 2-0 with a decisive victory (6-3, 6-2) against MSU's Philippe Frayssinoux at the top spot. Robbye Poole made it 3-0 when he won at No. 3 singles. Eric Claesson came back to beat Ivan Bjelica at No. 2 singles to clinch the victory.

CLAESSON NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Eric Claesson was named the SEC Player of the Week (Feb. 12) for his match-clinching win in the Rebels' victory against Mississippi State, on Feb. 8. The All-American rallied to defeat MSU's then 32nd-ranked Ivan Bjelica to clinch the match (4-0) for the Rebels. It marked Ole Miss' eighth straight in the River Hills Cup (including five consecutive shutouts). It marked the second time for Claesson to be named the SEC Player of the Week, also earning the honor in 2005.

POOLE CANDIDATE FOR REGIONAL AWARD
Junior Robbye Poole is a candidate for the ITA Southeast Region Player to Watch Award. The Southeast Region, considered the toughest region in the nation, encompasses the SEC and all of Florida. Poole is ranked No. 33 in the nation with a 31-9 overall record, 17-4 in dual matches. He earned All-SEC first team honors.

TEN BERGE HONORED
Rebel junior Bram ten Berge was one of three student-athletes among 125 Ole Miss students to be honored at Honors Day Convocation ceremonies on April 12. He received the Eta Sigma Phi Prize in Latin. The 2006 All-SEC player and Scholar-Athlete of the Year was forced to sit out the spring due to injury and will apply for a medical redshirt.

NATIONAL RANKINGS
Ole Miss finished the regular season ranked No. 7 in the Fila Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national team rankings. Ole Miss is one of six teams from the nation's toughest conference (SEC) to be ranked in the top 25. Georgia ended the regular season atop the rankings, followed by Ohio State, Virginia, Baylor and Notre Dame. Following the Irish at No. 5 is North Carolina, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, UCLA and Illinois. The Rebels boast four players in the singles rankings led by junior Erling Tveit at No. 13. Junior Robbye Poole is ranked No. 33, senior Eric Claesson is ranked No. 70, and Matthias Wellermann is ranked No. 120. In the doubles, Tveit and Claesson are ranked No. 25, while Chris Rea and Jakob Klaeson are ranked No. 49.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Ole Miss is a tough assignment for opponents in Oxford. The Rebels have won 44 of their last 45 regular season home matches dating back to April 6, 2003. The Rebels finished the regular season a perfect 12-0 at home.

A HALL OF FAMER
Head Coach Billy Chadwick enjoyed a banner year in 2006, culminated with his induction into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. The Rebel mentor became the eighth tennis inductee. Chadwick's accomplishments include four NCAA Final Four appearances, 16 NCAA Tournament berths and four Southeastern Conference titles. In addition he has coached an NCAA Doubles championship team, three SEC Players of the Year and 19 All-Americans. Off the court, his teams have been just as successful with three ITA All-Academic Teams and 16 Academic All-Americans.

CHADWICK ONE OF BEST COACHES EVER AT OLE MISS
With his fourth SEC Championship in 2005, Rebel head coach Billy Chadwick joined legendary baseball coach Tom Swayze and football coach John Vaught as the only coaches in Ole Miss history to win four or more SEC titles. Swayze won four SEC titles in 1959, 1960, 1964 and 1969. Vaught won six conference titles in 1947, 1954, 1955, 1960, 1962 and 1963.

CHADWICK ONE OF BEST IN NATION
A Mississippi native, Chadwick is one of only six active Division I men's tennis coaches to have led a team to the NCAA Championship Finals. Furthermore, he is one of only three active Division I coaches to have taken his team to three or more NCAA Final Fours.

CHADWICK WINS NO. 500
With the Rebels' win over Memphis last year, head coach Billy Chadwick notched his 500th career victory, including 107 as the Ole Miss women's head coach from 1979-1986.

CHADWICK NETS 400 WITH REBS
In addition to recording his 500th career victory, head coach Billy Chadwick notched his 400th victory with the Rebels when they defeated Florida in the 2006 SEC Tournament.

REBS WELCOME NEW COACH
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.

ITA SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
Erling Tveit and Bram ten Berge were named ITA Scholar-Athletes in 2006. Tveit was one of only five players in NCAA Division I men's tennis to earn All-America honors and be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete for the 2006 season. In addition he was one of only two players from the SEC to accomplish this feat. Tveit completed the 2005-06 academic year with a 3.62 grade point average in Business. The 2006 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's tennis, ten Berge holds a 3.95 cumulative GPA in the Classics. He earned ITA Scholar-Athlete honors for the second time in as many years.

CHANCELLOR'S CUP
For the fourth year in a row, the Rebels won the Chancellor's Cup at the University of Mississippi. The cup is awarded each year to the men's and women's varsity sports with the highest cumulative grade point average. The Rebels received the honor at the Feb. 21 men's basketball game against Georgia.

TVEIT, WELLERMANN UP FOR ACADEMIC HONOR
Juniors Erling Tveit and Matthias Wellermann are candidates for the ESPN the Magazine CoSIDA District VI Academic All-America At-Large Team. Tveit holds a 3.48 in business and Wellermann owns a 3.83, also in business.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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