The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Netters Down South Carolina 4-1 At SEC Tourney
4/22/2010 | Men's Tennis
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The No. 5 seeded Ole Miss men's tennis team downed the 12th seed, South Carolina, 4-1 Thursday in the first round of the SEC Tournament to advance to a quarterfinal meeting against Kentucky.
The Rebels, who are in the quarterfinals for the 17th straight year, will face Kentucky, the No. 4 seed, Friday at 2 p.m., CT.
Ole Miss took the early lead by winning the doubles point for the fifth straight match. Tucker Vorster and Jonas Lutjen won their sixth in a row, dominating 8-1 at No. 2. Then the freshman duo of Adrian Forberg Skogeng and Harry Fowler won their match at No.3, 8-5 to clinch the point.
Sophomore Chris Thiemann was impressive in his singles match, allowing just one game to USC's Ivan Machado to give Ole Miss a 2-0 lead.
South Carolina got on the board, when 59th-ranked Diego Cubas ended 88th-ranked Tucker Vorster's four match win streak at No. 2, 6-2, 6-2.
Moments later, Forberg Skogeng put the Rebels ahead for good with his 6-2, 6-3 win over Gamecock Alexander Kostonov at No. 5 singles.
With the No. 1 and 6 matches just beginning third sets, Lutjen clinched the victory, winning a second set tiebreaker for the second match in a row. He won the first set 6-2 and then took the tiebreaker 7-3.
"The team continues to play hard from the beginning of the match to the end. They did a great job of getting the doubles point. In singles, in the heart of the lineup, we were able to take them at three, four and five," head coach Billy Chadwick said."
The Rebels are looking forward to facing the Wildcats again after they lost to them 5-2 during the regular season.
"They beat us soundly the last time we played them," Chadwick said. "We're playing them on their home court, so it will be another tough match. But, we are happy to have another opportunity against them."
#19 Ole Miss 4
#50 South Carolina 1
DOUBLES
1. Thiemann/Thiemann (OM) vs. Cubas/Campos (USC) 7-4, sus.
2. Vorster/Lutjen (OM) def. Machado/Cressoni (USC) 8-1
3. Forberg Skogeng/Fowler (OM) def. Pulsfort/Kostonov (USC) 8-5
Order of Finish: 2, 3
SINGLES
1. Pedro Campos (USC) vs. Marcel Thiemann (OM) 7-6(5), 3-3, sus.
2. Diego Cubas (USC) def. Tucker Vorster (OM) 6-2, 6-2
3. Jonas Lutjen (OM) vs. Ivan Cressoni (USC) 6-2, 7-6(3)
4. Chris Thiemann (OM) def. Ivan Machado (USC) 6-1, 6-0
5. Adrian Forberg Skogeng (OM) def. Alexander Kostonov (USC) 6-2, 6-3
6. Harry Fowler (OM) vs. Johannes Pulsfort (USC) 2-6, 7-6(5), sus.
Order of Finish: 4, 2, 5
