The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Vanderbilt
Men’s Tennis Returns to Form with 5-2 Victory Over Vanderbilt
3/26/2023 | Men's Tennis
Third-Set Wins Fuel Rebel Victory Over the Commodores
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Ole Miss men's tennis team returned to the win column on Sunday, as the Rebels were able to take down No. 70 Vanderbilt in Nashville, 5-2.
The Rebels (13-5, 3-3 SEC) battled their way to a tight doubles victory, which set the tone early for Ole Miss. Key third-set wins by the Rebels in singles proved to be the deciding factor, as the Commodores (6-12, 1-6 SEC) were only able to win one of four matches that went to three sets.
"Today was another classic SEC match, and this time we were able to win the deciding points that made all the difference," head coach Toby Hansson said. "I was really happy for Simon to come back and play the way he did today in both doubles and singles after a tough match against Kentucky. We are looking forward to coming back to Oxford to play in front of our fans for the last four home matches of the season."
"I also want to tip my hat to head coach Ian Duvenhage for always being a class act, win or lose. I will miss competing against him next year and I just want to thank him for that he's done for college tennis. I wish him all the best for the future."
Ole Miss found itself on the backfoot early in doubles play, with Vanderbilt claiming a win on Court 2 doubles to threaten to take the doubles point.
The Rebels responded with an upset on Court 1, as the duo of Simon Junk and John Hallquist Lithen powered through a difficult matchup in No. 35 ranked Troost/Casabon to claim a 6-4 victory, leveling the playing field. The win marks the first ranked doubles win for Junk/Lithen this season, as well as the fourth ranked doubles win for the Rebels as a team.
All attention then turned to Court 3 doubles, as Nikola Slavic and Noah Schlagenhauf found themselves in a third-set tiebreaker to decide the doubles point. The senior-freshman combo proved clutch for the Rebels, with the pair clawing their way to a 7-4 tiebreaker win to put Ole Miss up 1-0.
"I felt realy good playing with Noah today," Slavic said. "We haven't played a lot of doubles together, but I felt like we were communicating well on the court and had a clear gameplan. Despite being down most of the set I always felt confident we would come out on the winning end of things. We were able to play a solid tiebreak to clinch the doubles point and put us one point ahead going into singles."
Heading into singles, senior Simon Junk kept his foot on the gas following his ranked doubles win, with the Marpingen, Germany, native capturing a 7-6(4), 6-3 straight-set win to put the Rebels up 2-0. A quick response from Vanderbilt on Court 4 would bring the score to 2-1, as the remaining four matches made their way to third sets.
Lukas Engelhardt would draw first blood for the Rebels amongst the third-set matches, with Engelhardt rebounding from a 4-6 second-set loss to cruise his way to a 6-1 win in set three. Engelhardt now builds upon his team-leading win streak in singles, stringing together five straight singles victories for the Rebs.
A tough loss for Isac Strömberg in his third set once again would bring the Commodores within striking distance with the score reading 3-2, but the one-two punch of Nikola Slavic and John Hallquist Lithen didn't leave the door open for long.
Fighting for the Rebel victory, Slavic saw the clinching win for the Rebels on Court 1, taking down Nathan Cox 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to secure the Rebel victory on the day. Not long after, Lithen put a cherry on top of the team's performance on Court 2, claiming a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win of his own.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is my first clinch of the year," Slavic said. "I was really excited about getting the team the win and finishing the weekend on a good note."
Up Next
The Rebels now return to Oxford for what will be a four-match homestand for Ole Miss, beginning March 31 against No. 4 South Carolina. The Rebels are set to host the Gamecocks at 4 p.m. on Friday. The team will then turn its attention to Sunday, as they host No. 51 LSU at 1 p.m. Both matches are slated to take place at Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center, weather permitting.
Ole Miss 5, Vanderbilt 2
Doubles
John Hallquist Lithen/Simon Junk (OM) def. No. 35 Troost/Casabon (VAN) 6-4
Ross/Cox (VAN) def. Lukas Engelhardt/Isac Strömberg (OM) 6-4
Nikola Slavic/Noah Schlagenhauf (OM) def. Klopper/Sisam (VAN) 7-6(4)
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles
No. 66 Nikola Slavic (OM) def. Nathan Cox (VAN) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
John Hallquist Lithen (OM) def. Joubert Klopper (VAN) 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
Simon Junk (OM) def. Michael Ross (VAN) 7-6(4), 6-3
Siim Troost (VAN) def. Noah Schlagenhauf (OM) 6-3, 6-4
Lukas Engelhardt (OM) def. Jeremie Casabon (VAN) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
Macsen Sisam (VAN) def. Isac Strömberg (OM) 6-3, (6)6-7, 6-2
Order of finish: 4, 3, 5, 6, 1, 2
For more information on Ole Miss Men's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMTennis, on Facebook at OleMissMTennis and on Instagram at OleMissMTennis, follow Coach Hansson on Twitter at @TennisToby.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
4,3,5,6,1,2
Players Mentioned
