The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis To Begin SEC Title Defense
3/4/2010 | Men's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss men's tennis team begins defense of its SEC Championship this weekend on the road at Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The Rebels will face off against the Commodores Friday at 2:00 p.m. at the Currey Tennis Center.
Ole Miss enters SEC play ranked No. 15 nationally at 8-1 and coming off a 6-1 win over Memphis on Wednesday. Without the services of injured senior Kalle Norberg and three freshmen in the lineup, the Rebels have relied on junior Tucker Vorster and the sophomore twins of Marcel and Chris Thiemann to lead a very young team.
"This is a young team, but we're developing and moving in the right direction," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "With that being said two SEC road matches to start off with is not easy, and we'll have to be at our best to come away with wins."
Vorster is ranked No. 53 and Marcel Thiemann is ranked No. 81. The two have gone 11-5 at the top two positions. Chris Thiemann is undefeated in dual matches at 8-0 and has clinched four of the Rebels' eight wins. Freshmen Jonas Lutjen and Adrian Forberg Skogeng have been a force in the middle of the lineup for the Rebels, with a combined 11-4 record.
Vanderbilt comes into the opening weekend of SEC play with an 8-3 record. They are coming off a 5-2 win over Middle Tennessee State last weekend. The Commodores are led by freshman Ryan Lipman, who is ranked No. 48 in the nation with a 6-4 mark at No. 1 singles.
"Vanderbilt has the best team that they've had in four or five years," Chadwick said. "They have a freshman at No.1, which pushed everybody on last year's team down a notch. They're one of the most improved teams in the conference.
"I remember last year, we beat them 6-1, but each match was very close," Marcel Thiemann said. We need to step it up, especially in doubles."
Kentucky is ranked No. 8, their highest ranking since the 2003 campaign. The Wildcats are led by two of the nation's top players, eighth-ranked Eric Quigley and 37th-ranked Alex Musialek.
"Kentucky has beaten the No. 1 team (Virginia) in the country, and they're really good at their place," Chadwick said.
To follow the Rebels during both matches, go to www.OleMissSports.com and click on the live stats link the Rebel Hub.
