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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis California Dreamin'
5/10/2017 | Men's Tennis
NCAA Notes (PDF) | NCAA Digital Program | NCAA Bracket | Live Scoring
OXFORD, Miss. - For the 24th consecutive year, the Ole Miss men's tennis team is one of 64 teams still playing as they begin the NCAA Championships this weekend in Los Angeles, California.
The Rebels will face UC Santa Barbara in the first round Friday at 12 p.m. CT from the Sunset Canyon Tennis Courts on the campus of UCLA. Army and UCLA will meet in the other first-round match. The winners of each match will battle in the second round, Saturday at 3 p.m. CT for a berth in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in Athens, Georgia.
Ole Miss enters the tournament winners of eight of their last nine matches. The Rebels are led by junior All-American Gustav Hansson and sophomore Fabian Fallert, who both earned All-SEC honors last week.
26 and counting...
Ole Miss earned its 26th overall and 24th 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 50-25 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.
A year ago at NCAAs...
In 2016, Ole Miss traveled to Berkeley, California for the NCAA First and Second Rounds as a No. 2 seed in the California Regional. The Rebels defeated Denver 4-3 in the first round before falling to host Cal, 4-0, in the second round.
Two for two...
Ole Miss is one of 33 schools to have both its men's and women's tennis teams in the NCAA Championships. The women earned their ninth consecutive NCAA bid and are in Chapel Hill, North Carolina to face William & Mary in the first round, May 13 at 8 a.m. CT. The winner will meet the winner of Furman/North Carolina in the second round, May 14 at 2 p.m. CT.
Scouting UC Santa Barbara...
UC Santa Barbara won the Big West Tournament Championship to earn the league's automatic bid. They come into the NCAA Championships on a school-record 12-match win streak, while their 19-5 record is a program best since 1988. Four of the team's five losses have come against top-10 opponents. The Gauchos are led by Morgan Mays, who owns a 14-10 dual match record, 7-6 at No. 1. He also teams with Simon Freund for a No. 35 ranking in doubles and a 13-4 record at No. 1.
What to watch for...
The No. 1 doubles match will feature two NCAA qualifiers in UCSB's Simon Freund and Morgan Mays, ranked No. 35, against the Rebel duo of Fabian Fallert and Grey Hamilton, ranked No. 19. The No. 4 singles match will feature two players coming in with 11-match win streaks, as Fallert (18-3) faces Ander Holms of the Gauchos, who is 12-2.
Rebels vs. Gauchos...
Friday will mark the second meeting between Ole Miss and UC Santa Barbara. The Rebels and Gauchos first met in the 1997 NCAA Sweet Sixteen at UCLA, with Ole Miss winning 4-0 on their way to the NCAA Final Four.
Thoughts from head coach Toby Hansson...
"We are excited to head out west to play UCSB in the first round of the NCAA Championships. The guys have done a great job managing their time between finishing their schoolwork and practicing in preparation for the NCAAs. I know that the guys will leave it all out there on the court."
Senior Ricardo Jorge...
"Everyone is really excited to go to California, it's a great place to play. We've had good week of practice, and we are ready to be done with final exams and focus just on tennis. For me, I am going to enjoy these last few matches with my teammates and have a lot of fun."
On what he expects from UCSB...
"It's going to be a really tough match. They're all tough this time of year, because every team in the NCAA can play. But, I feel like we're in a good position. We've been playing the last half of the season and everybody is playing their best tennis right now."
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.
Players Mentioned
