Mississippi senior Nik Scholtz serves the ball in a match against Jackson State in Oxford, Miss., Tuesday. (DM Photo | Jason Zhang)
The 10th ranked Ole Miss men’s tennis team beat Jackson State in both games of a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at the Gillom Sports Center, winning by scores of 6-1 and 4-0. Jackson State remained winless on the season, falling to 0-13, while Ole Miss improved to 7-2.
“We accomplished some good things,” Ole Miss head coach Toby Hansson said. “I saw some good things out here. It was very impressive, the way that they handled themselves out there today. They were focused and professional, and did a good job.”
The Rebels started the first match off a little slowly.
“I felt like the first doubles was just all right,” Hansson said.
Despite the slow start, they swept the doubles portion. Junior Stefan Lindmark and freshman Zvonimir Babic won at No. 1 6-4. At no. 2 doubles, senior Nik Scholtz and freshman Grey Hamilton won 6-3, and senior William Kallberg and sophomore Ricardo Jorge won at No. 3 6-2.
Scholtz anchored the Rebels during the singles portion, winning at No. 1 singles 6-3, 6-1. Kallberg also won his match at No. 2 singles with ease, winning 6-1, 6-2. Babic won at No. 3 singles 6-0, 6-4. At No. 4 singles, sophomore Vinod Gowda won easily by a score of 6-1, 6-0. At No. 5 singles, sophomore Ricardo Jorge won 6-2, 6-2. The last match at No. 6 singles with junior Oxford native Zach Wilder lost the first set 5-7 before winning the second set 6-2, then eventually fell in the tiebreaker 10-7.
The Rebels continued their strong momentum in the second match.
“The second time around, I felt like the doubles was a big improvement as far as the energy goes,” Hansson said. “That’s the way we should play every time, from beginning to end.”
They again swept the doubles portion. At No. 2 doubles Hamilton and Babic won 6-3, while at No. 3 doubles Gowda and Jorge won 6-1.
During the singles portion, Lindmark won easily at No. 1 singles 6-0, 6-1. Freshman Gustav Hansson also won by the score of 6-0, 6-1. Hamilton won handily by the score of 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3 singles to end the match.
Despite the blowout, Hansson kept his team focused.
“It’s always important that each individual player has a goal in mind where they can improve their games, whether it’s from a mental standpoint or tactically,” Hansson said. “You can never stop developing. If you want to get better, you keep that focus, and that one specific thing you want to get better at, and that keeps you concentrated throughout matches like these.”
The Rebels are back in action Friday against Tulane at 4 p.m. at the Gillom Sports Center.
“Tulane has put together a very competitive team this year,” Hansson said. “They pushed LSU, and we’re expecting to be pushed as well. We’re ready for them. We know we’re in for a battle.”
