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Mississippi State
Ole Miss Wins Epic Thriller Against State
1/26/2010 | Men's Tennis
JACKSON, Miss. -- It was the young guys who stepped up big to rally the No. 10 nationally ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team from a 3-0 deficit against Mississippi State here Monday night at the River Hills Tennis Club to win an epic thriller, 4-3.
In a match that began at 5 p.m., the outcome was finally decided at 11:15 when sophomore Chris Thiemann finished off Bulldog Daniel Sanchez 6-2, 6-4 at No. 6 singles.
"I think we'll look back on this match later on and see that the team really matured," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "We're going to have a lot of close matches like this one, and to be able to experience what it feels like to fight to the end and come out on top is a great feeling. The freshman did a great job, Marcel got us started and then Chris finished it off."
"Harry stepped it up, match point down to get the breaker, and played an unbelievable third set," Thiemann said. "I knew I could win, and Adrian did a great job, as well as Marcel. It was a great team effort."
With the win, the Rebels have now won 24 consecutive in the overall series and 11 straight Mississippi Cups.
The match looked to be over when State gained a 3-0 advantage by winning the doubles and the Nos. 1 and 3 singles.
That's when the Rebels began their comeback, with sophomore Marcel Thiemann at No. 2 singles against George Coupland. The Bulldog won the first in a tiebreaker 7-6(4) and appeared to be ready to put Thiemann and the Rebels away in the second set tiebreaker, gaining a 4-2 lead. But Thiemann rallied to tie it at 4. He won the next point to go up 5-4, but then Coupland answered. At 5-5, Thiemann won the next two points to take the set 7-6(5) and send it to a third. He quickly gained the upper hand and went on to win it 6-2.
That made it 3-1. Freshman Adrian Forberg Skogeng pulled the Rebels to within 3-2 with an impressive 6-3, 6-3 win over MSU's Antonio Lastre at No. 4 singles.
Freshman Harry Fowler, just 18 years old and playing his first college match, did the improbable. After losing the first set 6-3, he faced a match point in the second set tiebreak, before winning three straight points to take it 8-6 and force a decisive set that would prove to be the difference. In that third set, Fowler broke at 2-2, and that was all he needed to win it 6-3 and even up the match, setting up Chris' clinching win.
"I've never had a better feeling than coming back from a match point to win and looking at the Rebel fans," Fowler said. "They were pretty pumped up."
The Rebels will host the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Saturday and Sunday at the Gillom Sports Center. Ole Miss faces Arkansas in the first round Saturday at 10 a.m. Indiana and Columbia play at 2 p.m. The winner of both matches will advance to the National Team Indoor Final 16.
RIVER HILLS MISSISSIPPI CUP
#10 Ole Miss 4
Mississippi State 3
DOUBLES
1. Ilyushin/Coupland (MSU) def. Vorster/Lutjen (OM) 8-6
2. C. Thiemann/M. Thiemann (OM) def. Lastre/Sanchez (MSU) 8-5
3. Doerr/Cant (MSU) def. Fowler/Forberg Skogeng (OM) 8-5
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
SINGLES
1. Louis Cant (MSU) def. Tucker Vorster (OM) 6-4, 7-5
2. Marcel Thiemann (OM) def. George Coupland (MSU) 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-2
3. Artem Ilyushin (MSU) def. Jonas Lütjen (OM) 6-2, 7-5
4. Adrian Forberg Skogeng (OM) def. Anontio Lastre (MSU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Harry Fowler (OM) def. Chris Doerr (MSU) 3-6, 7-6(8), 6-3
6. Chris Thiemann (OM) def. Daniel Sanchez (MSU) 6-2, 6-4
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
