OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 For the first time this season, the No. 9 ranked Ole Miss men\u2019s tennis team lost the doubles point and rallied to win a match, taking down No. 10 Tennessee 4-2 here Sunday at the Gillom Sports Center in front of a nice crowd on a rainy day.<\/p>\n
With their two top-10 victories this weekend, the Rebels gained control of the SEC (4-0) earned their 10th win of the season. On Friday, the Rebels rallied to knock off No. 7 Georgia 4-3 in thrilling fashion.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a great team effort,\u201d said head coach Billy Chadwick moments after junior Johan Backstrom clinched it at No. 5 singles. \u201cI can\u2019t say enough about this team. I am so impressed; everybody is working hard and finding a way to win. Our big guy (Nik Scholtz) gets beat in three sets, we don\u2019t win at No. 1 doubles, and we still find a way to win. Stefan (Lindmark) and Johan played great in doubles and then really stepped it up in singles. It was a great team victory.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Chadwick stated, Tennessee was able to knock off the Rebel\u2019s top duo, Nik Scholtz and Jonas Lutjen, ranked No. 5 in the nation, at No. 1 doubles (8-3). Despite another win (8-5) from the team of Backstrom and Stefan Lindmark at No. 2 doubles, the Volunteers would go on to win 8-6 at No. 3 to clinch the point.<\/p>\n
Lindmark, playing just his second match at No. 3 singles, rebounded from a tough loss on Friday to defeat UT\u2019s Brandon Fickey 6-4, 6-3 to square the match at 1.<\/p>\n
In all previous meetings indoors, Lutjen and Volunteer sophomore Hunter Reese have played three sets. Not Sunday, as Lutjen stepped up and put away Reese impressively, 6-2, 6-3 to give the Rebels a 2-1 lead.<\/p>\n
\u201cStefan was a match they felt like they had the advantage,\u201d Chadwick said. \u201cWhen he won, that evened it up and started swaying things our way. Lutjen played one of the top players in the country, and every time they play it\u2019s tight. Lutjen just played a great match today.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a battle between two top-20 players and two of the best No. 1 players in the SEC, sophomore Nik Scholtz dropped a tough three-setter to UT sophomore Mikelis Libietis at No. 1 singles. Libietis, ranked No. 13 nationally, gained the only break in the first set to win it 6-4, but Scholtz took the second set 6-1. Libietis got an early break in the third and that was all he needed to close out 12th-ranked Scholtz 6-3. That tied the overall match at 2.<\/p>\n
Kallberg, the hero in Friday\u2019s win over Georgia, came through in a big way against Tennessee. Playing an opponent (Jarryd Chaplin) that has frustrated him indoors each time they\u2019ve played, Kallberg rose to the occasion when his team needed him. Chaplin served for the first set at 5-3, but Kallberg rallied to win it 7-5 and then he went up an early break on his way to winning the second set 6-3 to put the Rebels up 3-2.<\/p>\n
With court six having just finished the first set, Backstrom made sure it would not be needed as he finished off UT senior Ed Jones 6-1, 6-2 at No. 5 singles to clinch the victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was another big win for us in another close match,\u201d Backstrom said. \u201cIt shows that we can win four singles as well. I played really well today, served absolutely fantastic. That was the key for me. It\u2019s extra nice to do it in front of my family. It\u2019s my dad\u2019s birthday, so it\u2019s good to give him a birthday gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to see Backy step up and finish the guy,\u201d Chadwick said. \u201cHe served unbelievable in that last set. It was a great time to do it, and my hats off to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rebels are the only remaining undefeated team in SEC play. \u201cIt\u2019s great to be 4-0, but we\u2019re not satisfied,\u201d Backstrom said. \u201cWe are going to keep going strong, and we are looking forward to the next opportunity and next challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next opportunity comes Thursday, March 14 as the Rebels welcome perennially power Baylor to the Palmer\/Salloum Tennis Center for a 1 p.m. match.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to thank all the fans who came out this weekend,\u201d Chadwick said. \u201cWe\u2019re playing another top team on Thursday in Baylor, and we want to invite the fans to spend spring break with the Rebels.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
#9 Ole Miss 4, #10 Tennessee 2<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Doubles<\/p>\n
1. Mikelis Libietis\/Hunter Reese (UT) def. #5 Nik Scholtz\/Jonas Lutjen (OM) 8-3<\/p>\n
2. Stefan Lindmark\/Johan Backstrom (OM) def. John Collins\/Ed Jones (UT) 8-5<\/p>\n
3. Brandon Fickey\/Jarryd Chaplin (UT) def. William Kallberg\/Adriaan du Toit (OM) 8-6<\/p>\n
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3<\/p>\n
Singles<\/p>\n
1. #13 Mikelis Libietis (UT) def. #12 Nik Scholtz (OM) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3<\/p>\n
2. #5 Jonas Lutjen (OM) def. #33 Hunter Reese (UT) 6-2, 6-3<\/p>\n
3. Stefan Lindmark (OM) def. #76 Brandon Fickey (UT) 6-4, 6-3<\/p>\n
4. #55 William Kallberg (OM) def. Jarryd Chaplin (UT) 7-5, 6-3<\/p>\n
5. Johan Backstrom (OM) def. Ed Jones (UT) 6-1, 6-2<\/p>\n
6. Adrian Skogeng (OM) vs. John Collins (UT) 3-6, unfinished<\/p>\n
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1, 4, 5<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"