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Mississippi State - Mississippi Cup
Rebel Netters Make It 26 In A Row Against Bulldogs
2/10/2011 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 10, 2011
JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi State has had the best of Ole Miss this year in several sports, but in one sport the domination continued Thursday night, as the 17th-ranked Rebel netters defeated the 32nd-ranked Bulldogs 4-1 in the annual Mississippi Cup at River Hills Tennis Club.
Ole Miss built a 3-0 lead and then had to hold off a furious rally by Mississippi State. The Bulldogs made it 3-1 and were up a set at five and leading in the third set at No. 4, when freshman Johan Backstrom finished off a 6-4, 6-2 win over State's Zach White at No. 6 to clinch the victory for the Rebels.
With the win, the Rebels (3-2) have now won 12 straight cups and 26 in a row in the overall series, dating back to 1999.
The Rebels began the night by taking the doubles point with wins at the Nos. 2 and 3 positions. Marcel Thiemann and Jonas Lutjen defeated James Chaudry and Zach White 8-5. Johan Backstrom and Adrian Forberg Skogeng topped State's Louis Cant and Malte Stropp 8-6 at No. 3 to clinch the point.
Ole Miss carried the momentum over from doubles into singles winning three close first sets. Marcel Thiemann gave the Rebels a 2-0 lead with a straight set win at No. 1 against George Coupland. After winning the first set 7-5, Marcel cruised 6-1 in the second.
Senior Tucker Vorster put the Rebels within one with a huge win at No. 3 singles. After taking the first set in a tiebreaker, 7-6(4), he broke at 4-4 and served out the second set 6-4 to make it 3-0.
State (1-3) got on the board when Artem Ilyushin rallied to beat senior Kalle Norberg 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 at No. 2 singles. It marked the first loss for Norberg in singles or doubles against State in his career.
The Rebels will now turn their attention to the outdoor season as they get ready for their first outdoor match Saturday, Feb. 26 against Tulane. The match begins at Noon at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
DOUBLES
1. Norberg/Vorster (OM) vs. Coupland/Ilyushin (MSU) 7-6, sus.
2. M. Thiemann/Lutjen (OM) def. Chaudry/White (MSU) 8-5
3. Backstrom/Forberg Skogeng (OM) def. Cant/Stropp (MSU) 8-6
Order of Finish: 2, 3
SINGLES
1. Marcel Thiemann (OM) def. George Coupland (MSU) 7-5, 6-1
2. Artem Ilyushin (MSU) def. Kalle Norberg (OM) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
3. Tucker Vorster (OM) def. Louis Cant (MSU) 7-6(4), 6-4
4. Jonas Lutjen (OM) vs. Malte Stropp (MSU) 6-3, 4-6, 2-3, sus.
5. Adrian Forberg Skogeng (OM) vs. James Chaudry (MSU) 6-7(5), 0-2, sus.
6. Johan Backstrom (OM) def. Zach White (MSU) 6-4, 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2, 6
