Mississippi’s Nik Scholtz celebrates after wining his match during the 2014 ITA Kickoff Weekend against Michigan in Oxford, Miss., Saturday Jan. 25, 2014. Scholtz won 6-4 6-2. (Photo by Ignacio Murillo)
The Ole Miss men’s tennis team is now in the win column and hopes to build off its strong match against Southern Miss when it travels to Waco, Texas, this weekend to face SMU and Baylor.
Just like last match, the Rebels will have had nearly two weeks off to be fresh and ready for this crucial road trip. Baylor is ranked No. 7 in the nation and owns a 7-2 overall record, going 6-0 at home this season. The Bears are coming off losses against two strong teams in No. 2 USC and No. 5 Oklahoma after starting their season 7-0. The three most impressive wins for the Bears came against No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 28 Auburn and Purdue.
SMU has also played good competition but has only a 5-4 record to show for it. All of their losses came against ranked teams, which include Texas, Drake, Texas A&M and Wisconsin. The Rebels are looking forward to playing such great competition.
“They traditionally have always had a strong team, and this year is no exception,” said head coach Billy Chadwick about playing SMU. “Baylor is a top-five-in-the-nation team, especially on their home court. It will be a big challenge for us, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Despite the 7-0 sweep against Southern Miss, the Rebel Netters dropped to No. 26 in the ITA rankings. Without their No. 1 player, junior Nik Scholtz, the Rebels dominated the match from start to finish.
The key for the Rebels two weeks ago was to win the doubles point, which they took care of for the first time this season.
Having Scholtz back for this Texas road trip will be huge for the Rebels because it puts their rotation back to where the team plans it to be, with Scholtz leading off in singles and paired with senior Johan Backstrom in doubles. The return of Scholtz also helps put more experience on the court and less pressure on the younger and less experienced members of the team.
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss men’s tennis, follow @drubino11 and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
