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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, May 3
Los Angeles, Calif.
1 PM
Ole Miss
vs
Oklahoma State - First Round
Rebels Set for NCAA First Round and No. 25 Oklahoma State
5/2/2019 | Men's Tennis
<i class="icon-info-circled"></i> Tournament Central <i class="icon-stats"></i> Live Scoring <i class="icon-paper"></i> NCAA Bracket
Ole Miss Battles Cowboys in Los Angeles at 1 p.m. CT Friday
OXFORD, Miss. – Fighting though early season adversity and injuries, the Ole Miss Men's Tennis team now sets its sight on the first round of the NCAA Championships and a rematch with No. 25 Oklahoma State. The match is slated for a 1 p.m. CT start time Friday at UCLA's Los Angeles Tennis Center.
The Rebels enter as the No. 3 seed, while Oklahoma State earned the No. 2 seed. The winner will face No. 11 UCLA or Grand Canyon Saturday at 5 p.m. CT for a chance to advance to the newly-created NCAA Super Regionals, held May 10-12.
Live video/scoring and tournament information can be found via the links provided. Fans can also stay up-to-date with in-match coverage following the @OleMissMTennis account.
WE MEET YET AGAIN
Friday will mark a rematch as Ole Miss downed then-No. 20 Oklahoma State 4-3 in early February in Stillwater.
Stalled at 3-3 with their first ranked win on the line, the Rebels looked to veteran Fabian Fallert, who provided the dramatic clincher. It ended up being his first of six clinching victories this season.
The Rebels headed into singles play with the upper hand, securing the doubles point on wins from the veteran pair of junior Tim Sandkaulen and senior Filip Kraljevic as well as Fallert and his accomplice, sophomore Cotter Wilson.
Sandkaulen carried the momentum at first singles, dropping just two games after sweeping his first set 6-0 and taking the second 6-2, handing the Rebs a 2-0 cushion.
The Cowboys were quick to cut the lead in half, after OSU's Luke Hammond downed freshman Simon Junk in identical 6-4 sets, and then evened the contest after picking up a win at Court 2.
Oklahoma State evened things once more after Ole Miss won on Court 4, pulling through a tiebreaking first set and 6-2 second over Wilson at sixth singles. All eyes turned to his partner on Court 3 for the final point.
SANDKAULEN TABBED ALL-SEC SECOND TEAM, EARNS NCAA BERTH
Junior Tim Sandkaulen was named to the All-Southeastern Conference Second Team, as announced by the league last week. Tuesday, it was announced by the NCAA that Sandkaulen would participate in the Men's Singles Championship, held at the USTA National Center in Orlando, Fla.
Sandkaulen has boasted the second-most wins for the Rebels this school year, but led during the spring with a 13-9 clip. Four of his five wins in SEC play have come against ranked foes, including taking down Alabama's Mazen Osama twice to help propel the Rebels to two of their three Top-20 upsets.
The Monchengladbach, Germany product has carried an ITA Singles Ranking most of the spring, and secured a career-high No. 15 rating during the fall campaign. He's tallied two separate four-match win streaks this spring, and his set up victory over Arkansas propelled the Rebels to a win on Senior Day. Sandkaulen provided the clinch for the Rebels against LSU during the final weekend of SEC play, his fourth clincher of the season.
Sandkaulen currently carries a ranking of No. 52 heading into Friday. The award is the second of his career, after claiming First Team honors in 2018, and it also marks his second-straight appearance in the NCAA Individual Championships.
CLINCH KING
Fallert continues to reign as the undisputed 'Clinch King', picking up his sixth clinch of the spring during Ole Miss' final home SEC match of the season in late March. His three-set thriller over then-No. 38 Arkansas was his second in league play. He has clinched for the Rebels in three of their Top-25 victories this season, including a thrilling three-setter over Friday's foe, Oklahoma State.
OLE MISS IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
SCOUTING THE COWBOYS
No. 25 Oklahoma State (15-11) enters the match after splitting a pair of matches last week at the Big 12 Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. The Pokes upset No. 7 TCU in the opening round, before falling to No. 8 Baylor in 1-4 decision.
OSU is making their sixth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, one shy of the program's all-time record from 2003-2009. They were ousted in the opening round a year ago to Harvard 2-4.
Ole Miss owns a 5-1 edge and three-match winning streak in all-time meetings. Prior to February, the Rebels last faced Oklahoma State in 2008 with the Rebels prevailing 4-0.
The Cowboys boasts four ranked players, with sophomore Matej Vocel claiming a No. 34 rating in singles. He pairs up with freshman Emile Hudd for a No. 41 ranking in doubles, while the junior/sophomore duo of Maxim Tybar and Matheiu Scaglia carry No. 36.
BE THE BEST, BEAT THE BEST
Ole Miss has four wins over Top-25 opponents this season (then-No. 20 Oklahoma State, then-No. 16/18 Alabama, and then-No. 22 Georgia).
CALIFORNIA DREAMING
This will the fourth consecutive season Ole Miss will compete in an NCAA Regional in the Golden State. In 2016 (California) and 2017 (UCLA), the Rebels fell to the hosts in the second round. Last season, the Rebels upended Duke and national No. 4 seed Stanford en route to the Sweet Sixteen, their first trip since 2012.
LAST TIME ON THE COURT
A five-match win streak over then-No. 21 Alabama Crimson Tide was halted, as the Rebels (16-12, 5-7 SEC) dropped a 3-4 heartbreaker in the second round of the SEC Tournament in Gainesville, Fla.
The match came down to a trio of three-set battles on Courts 2, 3, and 6 after Ole Miss clinched doubles.
The Rebels picked up the point thanks to wins on Courts 2 and 3. After the top-ranked pair of Fallert and Reynolds succumbed to defeat on Court 1, the young duo of Junk and Wilson prevailed 6-4, setting up veterans Kraljevic and Sandkaulen for a 7-5 win on Court 2.
Alabama evened the score with a win on Court 5, but the stalemate was short lived thanks to sharp play from Junk, prevailing 6-4, 7-5.
The Crimson Tide knotted the match again at 2-2 with a victory on Court 1. Fallert emerged victorious in three hard-fought sets to put Ole Miss back in control, up 3-2.
Alabama responded after Reynolds fell in a hard-fought 5-7 third set. Hain delivered a 7-3 tiebreak to force a final set, but was unable to regain control, ultimately falling 2-6 in the decisive match.
UP NEXT
The winners of the Oklahoma State-Ole Miss and UCLA-Grand Canyon matches will meet with a spot in the Sweet Sixteen on the line, Saturday at 5 p.m. CT.
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.
The Rebels enter as the No. 3 seed, while Oklahoma State earned the No. 2 seed. The winner will face No. 11 UCLA or Grand Canyon Saturday at 5 p.m. CT for a chance to advance to the newly-created NCAA Super Regionals, held May 10-12.
Live video/scoring and tournament information can be found via the links provided. Fans can also stay up-to-date with in-match coverage following the @OleMissMTennis account.
WE MEET YET AGAIN
Friday will mark a rematch as Ole Miss downed then-No. 20 Oklahoma State 4-3 in early February in Stillwater.
Stalled at 3-3 with their first ranked win on the line, the Rebels looked to veteran Fabian Fallert, who provided the dramatic clincher. It ended up being his first of six clinching victories this season.
The Rebels headed into singles play with the upper hand, securing the doubles point on wins from the veteran pair of junior Tim Sandkaulen and senior Filip Kraljevic as well as Fallert and his accomplice, sophomore Cotter Wilson.
Sandkaulen carried the momentum at first singles, dropping just two games after sweeping his first set 6-0 and taking the second 6-2, handing the Rebs a 2-0 cushion.
The Cowboys were quick to cut the lead in half, after OSU's Luke Hammond downed freshman Simon Junk in identical 6-4 sets, and then evened the contest after picking up a win at Court 2.
Oklahoma State evened things once more after Ole Miss won on Court 4, pulling through a tiebreaking first set and 6-2 second over Wilson at sixth singles. All eyes turned to his partner on Court 3 for the final point.
SANDKAULEN TABBED ALL-SEC SECOND TEAM, EARNS NCAA BERTH
Junior Tim Sandkaulen was named to the All-Southeastern Conference Second Team, as announced by the league last week. Tuesday, it was announced by the NCAA that Sandkaulen would participate in the Men's Singles Championship, held at the USTA National Center in Orlando, Fla.
Sandkaulen has boasted the second-most wins for the Rebels this school year, but led during the spring with a 13-9 clip. Four of his five wins in SEC play have come against ranked foes, including taking down Alabama's Mazen Osama twice to help propel the Rebels to two of their three Top-20 upsets.
The Monchengladbach, Germany product has carried an ITA Singles Ranking most of the spring, and secured a career-high No. 15 rating during the fall campaign. He's tallied two separate four-match win streaks this spring, and his set up victory over Arkansas propelled the Rebels to a win on Senior Day. Sandkaulen provided the clinch for the Rebels against LSU during the final weekend of SEC play, his fourth clincher of the season.
Sandkaulen currently carries a ranking of No. 52 heading into Friday. The award is the second of his career, after claiming First Team honors in 2018, and it also marks his second-straight appearance in the NCAA Individual Championships.
CLINCH KING
Fallert continues to reign as the undisputed 'Clinch King', picking up his sixth clinch of the spring during Ole Miss' final home SEC match of the season in late March. His three-set thriller over then-No. 38 Arkansas was his second in league play. He has clinched for the Rebels in three of their Top-25 victories this season, including a thrilling three-setter over Friday's foe, Oklahoma State.
OLE MISS IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Ole Miss has appeared in 26 straight NCAA Championships (1994-2019), and 28 overall, the fifth-longest streak in the country
- The Rebels are 45-27 in the tourney, dating back to 1977 with the current format
- Ole Miss is 25-2 in the first round, with the last opening defeat coming in 1994
- The program finished national runner-up back in 1995, and boasts an NCAA singles champion (current assistant coach Devin Britton, 2009) and doubles champion pair (Bhupathi/Hamadeh, 1995)
SCOUTING THE COWBOYS
No. 25 Oklahoma State (15-11) enters the match after splitting a pair of matches last week at the Big 12 Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. The Pokes upset No. 7 TCU in the opening round, before falling to No. 8 Baylor in 1-4 decision.
OSU is making their sixth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, one shy of the program's all-time record from 2003-2009. They were ousted in the opening round a year ago to Harvard 2-4.
Ole Miss owns a 5-1 edge and three-match winning streak in all-time meetings. Prior to February, the Rebels last faced Oklahoma State in 2008 with the Rebels prevailing 4-0.
The Cowboys boasts four ranked players, with sophomore Matej Vocel claiming a No. 34 rating in singles. He pairs up with freshman Emile Hudd for a No. 41 ranking in doubles, while the junior/sophomore duo of Maxim Tybar and Matheiu Scaglia carry No. 36.
BE THE BEST, BEAT THE BEST
Ole Miss has four wins over Top-25 opponents this season (then-No. 20 Oklahoma State, then-No. 16/18 Alabama, and then-No. 22 Georgia).
CALIFORNIA DREAMING
This will the fourth consecutive season Ole Miss will compete in an NCAA Regional in the Golden State. In 2016 (California) and 2017 (UCLA), the Rebels fell to the hosts in the second round. Last season, the Rebels upended Duke and national No. 4 seed Stanford en route to the Sweet Sixteen, their first trip since 2012.
LAST TIME ON THE COURT
A five-match win streak over then-No. 21 Alabama Crimson Tide was halted, as the Rebels (16-12, 5-7 SEC) dropped a 3-4 heartbreaker in the second round of the SEC Tournament in Gainesville, Fla.
The match came down to a trio of three-set battles on Courts 2, 3, and 6 after Ole Miss clinched doubles.
The Rebels picked up the point thanks to wins on Courts 2 and 3. After the top-ranked pair of Fallert and Reynolds succumbed to defeat on Court 1, the young duo of Junk and Wilson prevailed 6-4, setting up veterans Kraljevic and Sandkaulen for a 7-5 win on Court 2.
Alabama evened the score with a win on Court 5, but the stalemate was short lived thanks to sharp play from Junk, prevailing 6-4, 7-5.
The Crimson Tide knotted the match again at 2-2 with a victory on Court 1. Fallert emerged victorious in three hard-fought sets to put Ole Miss back in control, up 3-2.
Alabama responded after Reynolds fell in a hard-fought 5-7 third set. Hain delivered a 7-3 tiebreak to force a final set, but was unable to regain control, ultimately falling 2-6 in the decisive match.
UP NEXT
The winners of the Oklahoma State-Ole Miss and UCLA-Grand Canyon matches will meet with a spot in the Sweet Sixteen on the line, Saturday at 5 p.m. CT.
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
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