The University of Mississippi Athletics
Photo by: Ole Miss Athletics
Blue Gray MVP Slavic Dubbed SEC Freshman of the Week
2/26/2020 | Men's Tennis
Freshman went perfect in singles and clinched the Championship for Ole Miss
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- After delivering a thrilling three-set comeback to guide Ole Miss Men's Tennis to the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic, Rebel freshman Nikola Slavic has earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors, as announced by the conference office Wednesday.
Slavic recorded four wins en route to helping the Rebels capture the title this past weekend, registering his first career clinch during the Championship to play the hero for Ole Miss. It was their first Blue Gray tournament title since 1997.
The Stockholm, Sweden product rallied from a first-set tiebreak loss to win his second-set tiebreak in commanding 7-1 fashion and force a third. Slavic picked up the first five points of the second tiebreak, and carried that confidence into the finale, battling back from being down at the 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4 marks. After equalizing things at 4-4, the rookie registered back-to-back games to deliver the Rebs sweet redemption, after falling in the finals of the Blue Gray in 2019.
Slavic has won five consecutive singles matches and boasts an 8-1 record in dual match play this spring. His performance and clinch helped catapult the Rebels in the rankings, shooting up from No. 20 to No. 14 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Rankings, released Tuesday.
The award is the first of his career, and he becomes the second Rebel to earn weekly honors this season, joining sophomore Jan Soren Hain, who was dubbed Player of the Week in early February.
UP NEXT
Ole Miss will head to Fort Worth, Texas to face No. 12 TCU in one last tune up before the start of SEC play, when they head to Fayetteville to face Arkansas Sunday, March 1.
-------------------------------
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.
Slavic recorded four wins en route to helping the Rebels capture the title this past weekend, registering his first career clinch during the Championship to play the hero for Ole Miss. It was their first Blue Gray tournament title since 1997.
The Stockholm, Sweden product rallied from a first-set tiebreak loss to win his second-set tiebreak in commanding 7-1 fashion and force a third. Slavic picked up the first five points of the second tiebreak, and carried that confidence into the finale, battling back from being down at the 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4 marks. After equalizing things at 4-4, the rookie registered back-to-back games to deliver the Rebs sweet redemption, after falling in the finals of the Blue Gray in 2019.
Slavic has won five consecutive singles matches and boasts an 8-1 record in dual match play this spring. His performance and clinch helped catapult the Rebels in the rankings, shooting up from No. 20 to No. 14 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Rankings, released Tuesday.
The award is the first of his career, and he becomes the second Rebel to earn weekly honors this season, joining sophomore Jan Soren Hain, who was dubbed Player of the Week in early February.
UP NEXT
Ole Miss will head to Fort Worth, Texas to face No. 12 TCU in one last tune up before the start of SEC play, when they head to Fayetteville to face Arkansas Sunday, March 1.
-------------------------------
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
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
A New Era in Men's Tennis with Gordon Whitwell & Noah Schlagenhauf
Wednesday, October 08
Loan Lestir Caps Men's Tennis Comeback at Memphis (1/17/2025)
Friday, January 17
Nik Scholtz:On Selection for Davis Cup
Wednesday, October 08
Men's Tennis UGA & UT Preview
Wednesday, October 08