The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Tulane
No. 10 Rebels Top Tulane 5-2
2/27/2015 | Men's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - In the final tune-up before the start of Southeastern Conference play, the No. 10 ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team topped No. 62 Tulane 5-2 here Friday night at the Gillom Sports Center.
Tulane came into the match with nine wins and in their most recent loss had pushed LSU before losing 4-3, so the Rebels knew they would be facing a tough battle. The Rebels were able to come up with the doubles point and two huge three-setters to secure their fourth home win and improve to 8-2 overall as they get set to welcome No. 16 Vanderbilt Sunday in the SEC home opener.
"We expected it to be a close match and obviously it was," head coach Toby Hansson said. "Tulane is much better than their ranking indicates. It was a tough battle, and I am proud of the guys for stepping up to the challenge and taking care of business."
After Tulane held to start at No. 1 doubles, William Kallberg and Gustav Hansson won six straight games to take the match 6-1. Stefan Lindmark and Zvonimir Babic were down 0-3, but rallied to win six straight themselves, to clinch the point and the early 1-0 lead.
Tulane tied the match when Constantin Schmitz beat Lindmark 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2 singles, but senior Nik Scholtz gave the Rebels back the lead for good, as he defeated 14th-ranked Dominik Koepfer 6-2, 7-5. Scholtz broke at 5-5 and served it out for his 16th consecutive home win to improve to 6-1 at No. 1 singles.
"I played one of my better matches this season," Scholtz said. "The level of the match was extremely high, and I am really happy with my performance. It was a good team effort from top to bottom, they were a great team. This gives us confidence going into Sunday."
Gustav Hansson provided a huge lift, when he won the third set against Tulane's Alex Van Cott for a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory at No. 3 singles, giving Ole Miss a 3-1 lead.
Tulane would not go away quietly, as Sebastien Rey held off Kallberg in a third set tiebreaker to pull the Green Wave within one.
The hope for Tulane was short-lived though, as Babic dominated the third set against Chi-Shan Jao at No. 5 singles to win 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 to clinch the Rebel victory. It marked his first time to clinch for the Rebels.
"We played well in doubles. That was probably the best match Willie and Gus have played all season. Stefan and Zvonimir started finding their rhythm and came back. In singles, Nik was challenged today by an excellent player, but he executed and fought hard for every point. Gus battled and got the win. Zvonimir found a way to win, even though it wasn't always pretty. He finished the match very strong."
The preseason is over now, and it's time to start the "Gauntlet" known as the SEC. First up is No. 16 Vanderbilt, a team the Rebels have beaten nine of the last 10 times, including a 4-1 win last year in Nashville.
"We're excited about the first SEC match, the guys are looking forward to it," Hansson said. "Hopefully we can get a huge crowd out to support us."
For more information on Ole Miss Men's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMTennis, on Facebook atOleMissMTennis and on Instagram at OleMissMTennis.
Players Mentioned
