The University of Mississippi Athletics
Road to Tulsa Begins Saturday for Rebels
5/12/2016 | Men's Tennis
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OXFORD, Miss. - For the 23rd straight year, the Ole Miss men's tennis team is among the field of 64 teams vying for a national championship.
A challenging task awaits the 27th-ranked Rebels in Berkeley, California this weekend, as they seek to be one of 16 teams to continue the journey on the road to Tulsa, Oklahoma, site of the Final 16.
The Rebels will face Denver in the first round Saturday at 11 a.m. CT at the Hellman Tennis Complex. The host California will meet Army with the winners of both matches playing Sunday at 3 p.m. for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen.
Ole Miss (15-10), a mostly young team, will look to a pair of All-SEC honorees to lead the team in sophomore Gustav Hansson and senior Stefan Lindmark. Hansson made the first team and earned a bid to the NCAA Singles Championships. Lindmark earned second team honors and is a second alternate in NCAA singles.
25 and Counting…
Ole Miss earned its 25th overall and 23rd consecutive NCAA bid. The Rebels first made the NCAA Championships in 1989 and then again in 1992. They began their climb toward the top in 1994, with their third NCAA appearance and have been to the NCAAs every year since. In fact, the Rebels own the fifth longest consecutive NCAA appearance streak.
Rebels at NCAA Championships…
The Rebels own a 49-24 overall record in NCAA competition. They have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen 16 times, the Elite Eight nine times, four Final Fours and the Final in 1995.
Two for Two…
Ole Miss is one of 36 schools to have both its men's and women's tennis teams in the NCAA Championships. The women earned their eighth consecutive NCAA bid and are in Chapel Hill, North Carolina to face Northwestern in the first round Friday at 9 a.m. CT. The winner will meet ETSU/North Carolina in the championship match Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.
Scouting Denver…
Denver (18-7) won its third consecutive Summit League title to earn a fourth straight NCAA bid. The Pioneers are led by Summit League Player of the Year, junior Diogo Rocha, who owns a 12-4 record at No. 2 singles and 4-2 at No. 1. Senior Henry Craig is 13-5 at No. 1 singles. Craig, who was named the ITA Mountain Region Senior Player of the Year, teams up with Alex Gasson for a No. 51 ranking in doubles. Denver will be facing its fourth straight SEC opponent in the NCAA first round. In 2013, the Pioneers knocked of then-No. 15 Florida in Gainesville 4-3, and last year they nearly upset then-No. 20 Mississippi State in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, before losing 4-3.
The Winner Gets…
The winner of the Ole Miss/Denver match will face the winner of the Army/California match Sunday at 3 p.m. CT for the right to advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
California (17-6) earned the No. 13 seed overall in the NCAA Championships and will face Army in the first round. The Golden Bears reached the Pac-12 final losing to UCLA 4-1 and earned their 17th straight bid to the NCAAs. Cal has five players in the singles rankings led by Florian Lakat at No. 30 and Andre Goransson at No. 31. Lakat is 17-10 and Goransson is 22-12 in singles. In doubles, the Golden Bears are led by ninth-ranked Lakat and Filip Bergevi.
Army (18-8) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships upon winning the Patriot League Championship. It marks the seventh NCAA appearance and first since 2014 for the Cadets. They are led by the Patriot League Freshman of the Year, David Mitchell.
Quoting head coach Toby Hansson…
"We are excited to still be playing tennis this time of year and represent the SEC and this great university in the NCAA Championships. This is what you work for all year. The guys are excited to be finished with school for the year and are focused on the match against Denver. We can't wait to get started."
Senior captain Stefan Lindmark…
"We're very excited to be done with classes and exams and happy to be in California. We have shown this year that when we play well, we can beat anyone. It's my last NCAA Championships, and I am ready to make the most of this opportunity."
For more information on Ole Miss Men's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter @OleMissMTennis, on Facebook at OleMissMTennis and on Instagram at OleMissMTennis, follow Coach Hansson on Twitter at @TennisToby.
