A Top-Notch Senior Class

By Kim Ling

Associate Director, Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations

 

Passion.  Determination. Great work ethic.  Outstanding students.  All these adjectives and phrases can be used to describe this year’s Ole Miss men’s tennis senior class.   

The group’s impressive credentials include four SEC West titles, an overall SEC Championship, an NCAA Final Four and two NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances.  Their careers may be nearing an end, but these young men will long be remembered for excellence on and off the court.

Erling Tveit came to Ole Miss from Oslo, Norway, via former letterwinner Fredrik Aarum, who was already on the team and hails from the same hometown.  In his first season, Tveit helped lead the Rebels to the overall SEC Championship and the NCAA Final Four, while playing in the top half of the lineup. 

The following year (2006) Tveit took over the No.1 spot in singles and has been there ever since, becoming one of the nation’s best in singles and doubles.  He joined an elite club this year, becoming the fourth Rebel to record 100 career victories.  In 2007, he became the first Rebel to earn All-America honors multiple times in both singles and doubles.  A three-time All-SEC honoree, Tveit boasts an impressive 13-2 record in NCAA play.

Jakob Klaeson, a native of Lidkoping, Sweden, came in the same year as Tveit and instantly became a fan favorite with his passion and excitement for the game.  According to Klaeson, it’s the fans that have made it so much fun for him.

“It has been great,” he said.  “We have the most amazing fans. They put their hearts into the game, and it helps me put my heart out there. I am also proud to have played for Coach (Billy) Chadwick.  He has a history at the school, and to be a part of his and the program’s history feels amazing. I have been part of a team that has achieved so much, and hopefully we will go all the way this year.”

Tveit echoed those sentiments.  “It’s been a lot of fun being part of a team, because tennis is such an individual sport.  We’ve always had a lot of fans, and it’s been a great atmosphere.”

Robbye Poole and Matthias Wellermann joined the team in 2006.  Poole transferred from Clemson and has played a significant role in the Rebels’ winning three SEC West titles and advancing to the NCAA “Sweet Sixteen” in 2006 and 2007.  Last year, he established himself as one of the top players in college tennis, earning All-America honors.

“It’s been wonderful being able to compete for a national championship every year,” Poole said.  “To be able to win SEC West titles and compete for SECs (overall championship) every year has been great. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Wellermann played through a back injury last year, but he didn’t let it get him down.

“It was tough to wait almost a year-and-a-half to play, and then unfortunately I had to play with an injury last year,” Wellermann said.  “But it has still been a good experience playing for a team.  This season has been great.  We have four seniors, and everybody knows each other.  We only have one freshman (Tucker Vorster), and he’s a real good guy.  We have really good team spirit.  It has been fun.”

Last fall Wellermann proved he was one of the nation’s best, capturing the Southeast Regional Championship in singles.   He is currently ranked No. 14 in singles and No. 19 in doubles.  He is undefeated at No. 2 doubles with two different partners.

These four seniors have not only accomplished a lot on the courts, but they have performed at a high level in the classroom.   They helped the Rebels earn the ITA All-Academic Team Award in 2005 and 2007 as well as claim the Chancellor’s Cup (Ole Miss men’s team with the highest GPA) every year of their careers. 

Tveit and Wellermann are ITA Scholar-Athletes, while Tveit was a nominee for the SEC’s H. Boyd McWhorter Postgraduate Scholarship this year. As a finalist he received a $5,000 postgraduate scholarship.

The SEC is arguably the best conference in men’s tennis, which means every match you have to play your best or you might get beat.  If you are playing at the top of the lineup, it can be even tougher, according to Wellermann

“Playing No. 1 or 2 is very difficult in this league,” Wellermann said.  “Every team has at least three good players.  Some teams drop off after that, but when you are playing at the top, it is tough.”

Playing a team sport in college creates memories that will last a lifetime.  For this group of seniors, those have included exciting matches, SEC Championships, trips to Seattle and Chicago for the National Team Indoor, a trip to California for the NCAA Championships and many other destinations along the way.

“For me some of my favorite memories were the close wins,” Wellermann said.  “We beat Tennessee 4-3 last year at Tennessee, and we did the same again this year. Kalle (Norberg) clinched both wins, and it was absolutely great.  It was a great experience.  Because you usually have a long way to travel after the first match, and so it’s such a good feeling when you win.

“The best memory may be yet to come, because I think we have a great chance to win the SEC Tournament and or the NCAAs.”

Some memories are close to home and involve other sports. “There are so many memories, but after my freshman season we got to go out on the field at halftime of a football game to be recognized for winning the SEC Championship,” Klaeson said.   “That was really special.”

“My favorite memory is probably when I made All-American last year, winning that second-round match in the third set,” Poole said.  “When the guy retired, I was just relieved.” 

Tveit has been involved in so many memorable matches during his career, and he recalled a few of those.

“When we beat Georgia my freshman year in the quarterfinals of the NCAAs, that was big.  Another one was when we beat Mississippi State here my junior year, 4-3, and I had seven match points (against me).  When I made the NCAA Final Four in singles my sophomore year, it was big.”

Poole is known for being a fiery competitor who likes to get the crowd involved.

“I hope people remember me as someone who was a fighter and always left everything out on the court.”

“I hope people remember me as someone who always displayed good sportsmanship and was fun to watch,” said Tveit, who won the ITA Sportsmanship Award at the National Team Indoor in February of this year. 

The end is near, but with the SEC Tournament and NCAA Championships next up, there is plenty of tennis left for these four seniors to write a storybook ending to already great careers.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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