Freshmen Deliver Strong Debut in Rebels' 4-0, 4-0 Wins Wednesday

OXFORD, Miss. – It was a strong debut for Ole Miss Men's Tennis Wednesday, as the Rebels defeated visiting North Alabama in back-to-back 4-0 affairs at the William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center.

Freshmen Lukas Engelhardt and Nikola Slavic delivered strong performances in their first collegiate dual matches, each picking up a victory and poised for victory in their other contests before they were left unfinished.

Wednesday also welcomed the return of junior Finn Reynolds, who paired with classmate Cotter Wilson for a doubles triumph in the opening round of action.

Sophomore Simon Junk picked up three total victories on the day, surrendering just one game in singles play.

The Rebels worked quickly for the opening point, as the sophomore duo Jan Soren Hain and Junk set the Rebels up after a 6-1 victory on Court 3. Shortly after, the tandem of Wilson and Reynolds turned in their own 6-1 result, handing Ole Miss the advantage heading into singles.

Junk won 12 straight games, picking up a sweep in his second set to hand the Rebs their first singles victory of the day with a 6-1, 6-0 decision over the Lions' Tim Heslin. Not even a minute later, Slavic registered his first collegiate dual win, putting Ole Miss up 3-0 and one point away from clinching.

With Engelhardt looking primed to seal the deal, up 5-0 on Court 4, Wilson stole the show on the court next to him. The junior rallied, picking up four consecutive games to secure the 6-0, 6-3 victory and the win for the Rebels at 4-0.

In the subsequent contest, Junk ignited the squad, recording straight sets over Gustavo Girao on Court 4 for the first point of the match. Engelhardt followed after picking up the advantage early with a 6-0 opener and finishing 6-2.

Hain delivered some impressive tennis in the top slot, earning identical 6-1 victories and placing the Rebels with a commanding 3-0 lead.

Ole Miss clinched the match thanks to 6-3, 6-3 scores from sophomore Sebastian Rios on Court 6. Rios has now won six straight dual matches, dating back to his freshman spring when he went 5-0 in dual match play.

AT THE NET WITH… HEAD COACH TOBY HANSSON
Thoughts on today's matches…
"Everybody did a very good job of competing and stayed concentrated the whole time. We tried to focus on that, and I think we did, from start to finish… days like this aren't easy, they're long, but we showed great team spirit and kept positive attitudes on the court."

Thoughts on the strong debuts from the freshmen…
"It's always tough playing in your first match. They did a great job getting used to things and handling their nerves. Of course you're going to be nervous at the very beginning of a match, but especially your first one, and they handled it extremely well."

Thoughts on the return of Finn, the support, and the crowd…
"Finn's looking very good, and he's been looking very good in practice as well. I'm very pleased with him and every player on this team, even saw great support from the guys who weren't playing. It was a very good crowd and great support from the fans. I couldn't be more pleased with today."

RESULTS, MATCH 1: OLE MISS 4, NORTH ALABAMA 0

J.S. Hain vs. C. Maguire, 6-2, 2-3 unfinished
F. Reynolds vs. A. Hansen, 6-2, 3-2 unfinished
N. Slavic def. Y. Pfleiderer, 6-2, 6-1
L. Engelhardt vs. G. Girao, 6-2, 5-0 unfinished
S. Junk def. T. Heslin, 6-1, 6-0
C. Wilson def. C. Reasons, 6-0, 6-3

  1. L. Engelhardt/N. Slavic vs. C. Maguire/G. Girao, 5-3 unfinished
  2. F. Reynolds/C. Wilson def. T. Heslin/Y. Pfleiderer, 6-1
  3. J.S. Hain/S. Junk def. A. Hansen/C. Reasons, 6-1

RESULTS, MATCH 2: OLE MISS 4, NORTH ALABAMA 0

J.S. Hain def. A. Hansen, 6-1, 6-1
N. Slavic vs. C. Maguire, 6-2, 4-3 unfinished
L. Engelhardt def. Y. Pfleiderer, 6-0, 6-2
S. Junk def. G. Girao, 6-0, 6-0
C. Wilson vs. T. Heslin, 6-4, 3-2 unfinished
S. Rios def. C. Reasons, 6-3, 6-3

UP NEXT
The Rebels remain at home, welcoming Belmont and Jackson State for another doubleheader event Sunday. First serve with the Bruins is slated for 1:30 p.m.

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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.

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Players Mentioned

Lukas Engelhardt

Jan Soren Hain

Simon Junk

Finn Reynolds

Nikola Slavic

Cotter Wilson