The University of Mississippi Athletics
No. 13 Rebels Continue Tough Stretch
3/26/2015 | Men's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. After dropping a close one on the road to arch-rival Mississippi State Wednesday, the No. 13 Ole Miss men's tennis team has an opportunity to bounce back this weekend with two more big matches at No. 24 LSU and No. 7 Texas A&M.
The Rebels will take on the No. 24 LSU at 5 p.m., Friday at Dub Robinson Stadium. The Rebels will then travel to College Station, Texas to face the No. 7 team in the nation, Texas A&M. That match will be played at 12 p.m. on Sunday at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
"Both LSU and Texas A&M are very good teams," head coach Toby Hansson said. "We've had many battles with them over the years, and we expect the same type of matches this weekend. The match against Mississippi State prepared us for the type of environment we can expect this weekend, and we are looking forward to the opportunity."
Last Time Out ...
Wednesday, the Rebels (12-5, 4-2) lost a tight match at Mississippi State that was much closer than the final score, 4-1. Sophomore Vinod Gowda put up the lone Rebel point, beating Julian Cash 7-5, 6-4 at No. 6 singles. The final three matches went three sets, but State clinched the win 7-5 in the third set at No. 4 singles. When played was stopped, Stefan Lindmark was up 6-5 in the third at No. 2 and about to serve, and Nik Scholtz was about to start his third set at No. 1.
Scouting LSU ...
LSU, ranked No. 24 in the nation, has won three in a row, including a big win over No. 11 Vanderbilt and are undefeated at home (12-0) this season. They are sitting at 14-3 on the season and 3-2 in SEC play. The Tigers clinched their first SEC road win on the season last Friday when they defeated Alabama 4-3. Sophomore Jordan Daigle leads the Tigers with a ranking of No. 75.
Series ...
LSU leads the all-time series with Ole Miss 46-17. The Tigers defeated the Rebels 4-1 last year in Oxford. The last time the two teams met in Baton Rouge, the Tigers won a very close match 4-3.
Scouting Texas A&M ...
Texas A&M comes into the weekend ranked No. 7 with an 11-3 overall record, 6-1 in the SEC. The Aggies are coming off a 4-1 win at No. 60 Alabama on Sunday. Wednesday, Aggie freshman AJ Catanzariti was named SEC Freshman of the Week. The Aggies boast four players and two doubles teams in the rankings.
Series ...
Ole Miss and Texas A&M have played some memorable matches, including last year's 4-3 win for the Rebels in Oxford. The last time the two teams faced off in College Station, the Aggies won 4-1,
National Rankings ...
In the latest ITA National Rankings, the Rebels are ranked No. 13. In the singles rankings, Nik Scholtz is ranked No. 15 and Stefan Lindmark is ranked No. 84. In the doubles rankings, senior William Kallberg and freshman Gustav Hansson are ranked No. 45.
Match Scoring Format ...
There are several changes to the format of matches this year. All matches will feature no-ad scoring. Also, there will be no warm-up with the opponent prior to each doubles and singles match.
• Doubles - Each doubles will be first to 6, by two. A regular tiebreaker (first to 7, by two) will be played if a set reaches 6-all.
• Intermission - There will be a five minute break between doubles and singles.
• Singles - Each singles match will be best 2-of-3 sets (first to 6, by two). A regular tiebreaker (first to 7, by two) will be played if a set reaches 6-all.
Live Coverage ...
Fans can follow the match through live scoring. Also follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMTennis for updates throughout the match.
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
