The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Georgia - SEC Championship
No. 5 Georgia Holds off No.13 Rebels
4/18/2015 | Men's Tennis
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- In their second meeting in a week, No. 5 Georgia held off a furious rally by the No. 13 Ole Miss men's tennis team to win 4-1 in the semifinals of the SEC Championship here Saturday at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
The Rebels are now 17-8 overall and will find out their NCAA opponents and whether they will host the first and second rounds on April 28. Georgia (21-3) advances to the final to face Texas A&M.
After Georgia claimed the doubles point, the Rebels got off to a good start in singles, winning four first sets and having the opportunity to win all six.
At No. 4 singles, senior William Kallberg led 4-2 in the first set against UGA's Ben Wagland, but the Bulldog would rally to take the set 7-5 and win the second 6-2 to make it 2-0 Georgia.
Senior Nik Scholtz got the Rebels on the board defeating 29th-ranked Austin Smith 7-5, 6-4 at No. 1 singles.
On a court where the Rebels have been winning a lot this year, junior Stefan Lindmark got off to a 5-2 lead in the first set against 28th-ranked Wayne Montgomery. Lindmark served twice for the first set, but Montgomery rallied. They went to a tiebreaker and Lindmark held two set points, before Montgomery won the final four straight points to take the set 7-6(6). Montgomery used the momentum to win the second 6-2 and give the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead. It marked Lindmark's first loss in eight matches and the first against an SEC opponent this season.
The Rebels were not done though. Freshman Gustav Hansson and sophomore Vinod Gowda both won huge first set tiebreakers, while freshman Zvonimir Babic was headed to a third set at five. Gowda won his tiebreak against Bulldog Peter Oosterbaan 7-6(5) and moments later, Hansson earned his 10-8, against 26th-ranked Nathan Pasha. Â
With Gowda serving up 4-3 in the second set, and Hansson on serve in the second at 3-3, Babic got broken serving at 3-4, and Georgia's Nick Wood served it out 6-3 to clinch the 4-1 victory.
"It was a tough match," head coach Toby Hansson said. "We got beat in doubles, but the guys did a good job of putting that behind them and really started off well in singles. We were up on most courts and looking good. We were competing well and had a good grip on the match. It really could have gone either way. I have to give Georgia a lot of credit for playing well and winning this match."
The Rebels have done all they can do now and must play the waiting game to see if their regular season and tournament play will land them an opportunity to host the NCAA first and second rounds.
"We just have to wait and see when the new ranking comes out where we are going to be and what happens, but we are hopeful that we are going to play two more matches in Oxford," Hansson said.
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.
#5 Georgia 4, #13 Ole Miss 1
DOUBLES
1. #1 Smith/Wagland (UGA) def. #39 Babic/Scholtz (OM) 6-1
2. Pasha/Oosterbaan (UGA) def. Hansson/Lindmark (OM) 6-4
3. Kallberg/Jorge (OM) vs. Montgomery/Wood (UGA)Â 4-5, sus.
Order of Finish: 1, 2
SINGLES
1. #19 Nik Scholtz (OM) def. #29 Austin Smith (UGA) 7-5, 6-4
2. #87 Stefan Lindmark vs. #28 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 7-6(6), 6-2
3. Gustav Hansson (OM) vs. #26 Nathan Pasha (UGA) 7-6(8), 3-3, sus.
4. Ben Wagland (UGA) def. William Kallberg (OM) 7-5, 6-2
5. Zvonimir Babic (OM) vs. Nick Wood (UGA) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
6. Vinod Gowda (OM) vs. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) 7-6, 4-3, sus.
Order of Finish: 4, 1, 2, 5
Players Mentioned
