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The University of Mississippi Athletics
There's No Place Like Home
2/10/2017 | Men's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. â€" When the No. 23 Ole Miss men's tennis team travels to face No. 5 North Carolina this weekend, the trip to Chapel Hill marks a return to the area where junior Grey Hamilton honed his skills.
Hamilton hails from Southern Pines, just a little over an hour south of Chapel Hill, where the Rebels will battle the Tar Heels Saturday at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
"I am very excited to being going home to play in front of my family and friends," Hamilton said. "I don't get that many chances to play close to home, except when we go to Columbia, South Carolina, but that's still a good three to four hours away. It's pretty cool to be able to play so close to home where my dad, mom and brothers will be able to come as well as a bunch of friends who go to UNC and other universities in the area."
Southern Pines is a small town with roughly 12,000 people and Hamilton expects to see a lot of familiar faces from his junior days of tennis, including his coach, who lives nearby.
"A bunch of people that I hit with growing up or that played tennis with my mom are coming as well as my coach, who's from Raleigh. I don't get a lot of opportunities to play in front of my coach from home, and it's always great to see him. It's going to be really fun."
Heading into the match-up with North Carolina, Ole Miss is riding some momentum after a big win on the road at then-No. 15 Texas A&M in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Hamilton stepped up for the Rebels when they needed him in the clutch and delivered the final knockout punch to the Aggies. He rallied from an 0-3 deficit in the third set at No. 6 singles to clinch the 4-3 win over the defending SEC Champions.
With two of his teammates locked in third sets, Hamilton didn't figure his match would finish, that is until he realized his doubles partner Fabian Fallert had lost his third set and Gustav Hansson was closing in on a win at No. 1 singles.
"I got down a break early in the third set, but I saw that both Gus and Fabi were up a break in their matches. When all of a sudden Fabi lost, I realized that it was going to be up to me. I broke back quickly to get to 3-2 on serve and then broke again to go up [4-3]. The whole crowd was right there and both teams were next to the court. I just tried to remain calm, but I was excited because it was my first time to be in that situation. I am happy I was able to get it done."
Hamilton knows what a big win it was for the Rebels not just in terms of avoiding going 0-2 at the ITA Kick-Off, but hopefully a springboard for the rest of the season.
"It was a huge moment for us, because we haven't beaten A&M since I've been in college. It bodes well for us moving forward and especially going into the SEC season, because A&M is perennial contenders."
The win at A&M landed the Rebels back in the top 25 and Hamilton says the team is looking forward to proving once again that they belong among the top teams in the nation.
"It's a huge opportunity for us, to go and try and defeat the reigning indoor champions at their place, he said. "It would be a huge boost to our season and validate us as one of the top teams in the country. They are definitely a great indoor team, but I think we are also a good indoor team. Hopefully we can prove that this weekend."
When 6 p.m. rolls around on Saturday, it will be all business for Hamilton, as he and his teammates try to get another big road win. Afterwards â€" win or lose â€" he'll shake hands and enjoy a few moments with some of his good friends, who happen to be on the other side.
"I know pretty much the entire team," Hamilton said. "One of my best friends, Blaine Boyden, he was my doubles partner in juniors. We played together a long time and had a lot of success. Robert Kelly is also a good friend of mine. All of them are good guys, so it will be good to see them again and compete against them."
