The University of Mississippi Athletics
MSU Match Rescheduled Due to Weather
3/5/2015 | Men's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. -- Due to winter weather, the No. 9 Ole Miss men's tennis match against Mississippi State has been rescheduled for Friday at 10 a.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
Due to colder temperatures still being predicted for Friday, whether the match will be played as scheduled will be evaluated Friday on-site.
The Rebels are scheduled to travel to Tuscaloosa on Saturday for a 1 p.m. match against Alabama.
Last Time Out ...
Ole Miss posted wins last weekend against Tulane and No. 14 Vanderbilt to improve to 9-2 overall and 1-0 the SEC. In the win over Tulane, the Rebels picked up the doubles point and singles wins at Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 6. On Sunday, the Rebels swept Vanderbilt off the courts, taking an exciting doubles point and then the top three singles courts for the 4-0 victory. Senior Nik Scholtz defeated the No. 14 and No. 9 ranked players to lead the Rebels.
Scholtz SEC Player of the Week ...
For the second time this season and the third time in his career, senior Nik Scholtz (Caledon, South Africa) has been named the SEC Player of the Week as announced by the league office Wednesday. Scholtz went a combined 5-0 last week in doubles and singles, including singles wins over the No. 14 and 9 ranked players. On Sunday, he teamed with freshman Grey Hamilton to clinch the doubles point against No. 14 Vanderbilt and then came back to beat No. 9 Gonzales Austin to clinch the 4-0 victory. It marked his 17th consecutive home win.
Scouting Mississippi State ...
Mississippi State comes into Friday's match with a 9-3 overall record, 1-0 in league play. The Bulldogs defeated Mississippi State 4-0 in their conference opener last Friday night. They are led by sophomore Florian Lakat, who is ranked No. 114 with an 11-5 overall record, 8-2 at No. 1 singles.
Series ...
Ole Miss owns a 48-27 overall lead in the series, including 14-10 in Starkville. The last time the two teams played in Starkville, the Rebels rallied after a rain delay to win 4-2.
Coach Talk ...
"We are excited to play a good MSU team," head coach Toby Hansson said. "It's a great opportunity and we are expecting a very tough match. The guys know that you have to be ready to play every match, because there are no easy matches in the SEC. We'll be ready for a battle."
Scouting Alabama ...
On Saturday, the Rebels will travel to Tuscaloosa for a 1 p.m. match against Alabama. The Crimson Tide own an 8-8 record this year and play at Arkansas on Thursday. Alabama is led by junior Becker O'Shaughnessey.
Series ...
Ole Miss holds a 33-31 advantage in the series, but Alabama has won the last two meetings, 4-2 in Oxford last year, and 4-3 in the second round of the SEC Championship in 2013, also in Oxford. The last time the two teams met in Tuscaloosa, the Rebels won an exciting 4-3 match, which junior Stefan Lindmark clinched in a third set tiebreaker, 12-10.
Top 10 Again ...
In the latest ITA National Rankings, the Rebels moved up to No. 9. It marks the highest ranking since 2009, when the Rebels ended the season ranked No. 4. In the singles rankings, Nik Scholtz is ranked No. 60, Stefan Lindmark is ranked No. 63 and Ricardo Jorge is ranked No. 117.
Did You Know? ...
The Rebels have been ranked in the top 15 in the nation at least once during 21 of the last 22 years.
Double Dip ...
Ole Miss is one of nine schools with both its men's and women's tennis teams in the ITA top 20. The women are ranked No. 17 in the nation.
Fins Up ...
Senior Nik Scholtz, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, owns a pretty good record overall during his career, but he's been quite impressive at home lately. After two big wins last weekend, Scholtz owns a 17-match home win streak.
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 and the Alabama match with 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 atOleMissMTennis and on Instagram at OleMissMTennis.
Players Mentioned
