CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Ole Miss men’s tennis team is marching on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after the Rebels claimed a convincing 4-0 victory in their opening round matchup with VCU on Saturday.
The Rebels (18-9, 6-6 SEC) set the tone right from the beginning against the Rams (20-6, 2-0 A-10) with a hard-fought doubles victory to take a 1-0 lead early on. It was then the bottom three spots of the Rebel lineup that delivered the clinching blow in singles, with the No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 positions all earning wins on the day.
“The guys did a great job in doubles and that really was a key point today,” head coach Toby Hansson said. “It was good to get two quick points on five and six singles, and then for Lukas to close out the match with a great service game.”
“It was a great team win where everyone had a great attitude from start to finish.”
This marks just the second time in the last five seasons that the Rebels have reached the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. The Ole Miss squad now aims to return to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2021.
The Rebels were put to the test early on by the Atlantic 10 conference champions, as all three doubles matches would end up being played to seven. Despite this, the Rebels held their ground against some difficult doubles opponents.
The No. 1 doubles duo of Simon Junk and John Hallquist Lithen would strike first for the Rebels, claiming a ranked doubles victory over VCU’s Matisse and Charles Bertimon. The Ole Miss pair captured a 7-5 victory over the No. 83 doubles team in the country, setting the Rebels up for a clinching opportunity.
VCU…
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