The University of Mississippi Athletics
Expectations High As Rebel Netters Open Season Against Southern Miss
1/20/2011 | Men's Tennis
Jan. 20, 2011
OXFORD, Miss. - Expectations are high as always for the No. 18 nationally ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team as they get set to open the 2011 dual match season Saturday at home against Southern Miss. The match begins at 1 p.m. at the Gillom Sports Center and admission is free.
This will also be the season opener for Southern Miss under first-year coach Ki Kroll.
"We haven't played them a lot in the last couple of years, but we've run into them many times in individual tournaments. We're expecting a strong team, especially at the top," said head coach Billy Chadwick, who is in his 29th year with the team.
The ITA is once again sponsoring an attendance race. The Rebels have led the nation in attendance the past two years.
"We would love to encourage everyone to come out and support this team. This is the only home match that we have in the next month, so if you want to catch the Rebels, you need to come out Saturday at one," Chadwick added.
The Rebels have won nine straight SEC West Championships and have their sites on a 10th consecutive ring and more. The team returns five of the top six and welcomes back 2009 SEC Tournament MVP Kalle Norberg. Chadwick talked about what it means to have his star player back on the court.
"It's great to have him back. He's a winner. To have him in the lineup, gives us that strength from within."
Fellow senior Tucker Vorster echoed those sentiments. "He's the best team player I've ever played with. He brings energy to the entire team. If it comes down to crunch time, you can always count on him."
Vorster has also been a big part of the Rebels success. The South African stepped up in 2010 to lead a young team and earned All-SEC honors. Chadwick is glad to have both his seniors on the court this year.
"Tucker is one of these guys that you like having on your team. He is the vocal leader. He has a lot of enthusiasm, and he can back it up with the racket. He's a player. He's a great team person. He's great fun to be around, and he keeps the guys loose. He's a winner. When you have two seniors, Kalle Norberg and Tucker Vorster, together, it's a great combination," Chadwick said.
Norberg and Vorster will have plenty of help with the nation's No. 2 ranked doubles tandem, twins Marcel Thiemann and Chris Thiemann, and sophomores Adrian Forberg Skogeng and Jonas Lutjen back also.
"The twins are playing excellent ball. Having our top five players back from last year and adding Kalle Norberg, we feel like we've got a great lineup," Chadwick said.
Bolstering the lineup this spring and making his debut for the fans Saturday will be Swedish standout Johan Backstrom, who incidentally hails from the same hometown (Uppsala) as Norberg.
"He's one that you're going to be seeing a lot of. He's a strong singles and doubles player with good size (6-5). We're expecting big things from him," Chadwick said.
