The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Troy
No. 19 Rebels Down Troy 4-3
2/9/2015 | Men's Tennis
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OXFORD, Miss. - In their home opener, the No. 19 ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team downed Troy 4-3 here at the Gillom Sports Center Monday to improve to 4-0 on the season as they get set to head to Chicago for the National Team Indoor.
The Rebels won the doubles point and then picked up straight set wins from Nik Scholtz, Stefan Lindmark and William Kallberg at the top three singles to make it 4-0 before Troy ever got on the board.
"I thought there was great energy in the building during the doubles and then the crowd really got into it in the first three singles matches," head coach Toby Hansson said. "Once we clinched, I felt like the energy kind of left us. The crowd started leaving, and we let it affect us. I have to credit Troy though. They did a great job of competing during the first three singles matches and certainly when the match was 4-0."
Making his debut as a true freshman, North Carolina native Grey Hamilton teamed up with Lindmark for an impressive 6-1 win at No. 3 doubles. Kallberg and freshman Gustav Hansson won 6-3 at No. 1 doubles to clinch the point and improve to 10-4 overall. It was a clean sweep of the doubles, as Scholtz and freshman Zvonimir Babic won their match at No. 2, 6-4.
Kallberg picked up his 10th singles win of the year, as he defeated Troy's Andy Lau 6-4, 6-2 at No. 3 to make it 2-0 Rebels.
Playing his first home match since he announced his return for his senior season, Scholtz took care of Troy's Hassan Ndayishimye in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, to put the Rebels ahead, 3-0. Scholtz has now won 14 straight matches at home dating back to last season.
"It was good to get a win in our home opener," Scholtz said. "We had a great start to the season in Florida. Coming out here today where you have high expectations, and you're obviously expected to win, it adds a little extra pressure. This will help us a lot in getting ready for Chicago, because it had been awhile since we played. Our energy was down a little at the end, but people need to remember it was 4-0 to begin with."
Lindmark got off to a slow start in his match to Gabriel Dias trailing 3-0, but he stayed patient and kept grinding. He won seven of the next nine games to win the opening set 7-5 and then took control in the second, winning it 6-2 to clinch the 4-0 win.
"Nik got better throughout his match," said Hansson of the reigning SEC Player of the Year. Willie was challenged today. The match was a lot closer than the final score. He showed that he is a real force. Stefan was anxious to get out there and show how well he is playing, and the other guy was challenging him. Like Stefan has done so many times this year, he was able to mentally come back and find a way to win. That's the mark of a confident player."
The Rebels will learn Tuesday their first round opponent in the National Team Indoor and the time of the match. Play begins Friday at the Midtown Athletic Club in Chicago.
For more information on Ole Miss Men's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMTennis, on Facebook at OleMissMTennis and on Instagram at OleMissMTennis.
Players Mentioned
