OM Men’s Tennis Team Sweeps SEC Honors

Photo by Robert Jordan / Ole Miss Communications

On the heels of qualifying for the ITA National Team Indoor Final 16, the Ole Miss men’s tennis team received recognition Wednesday, as senior Nik Scholtz was named the SEC Player of the Week, and Gustav Hansson earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors.

Both played a huge role in the helping the Rebels knock off No. 13 Florida and No. 29 South Carolina to capture the ITA Kick-Off Championship this past weekend in Gainesville, Florida. The Rebels were one of only three four seeds to advance and they earned their 19th berth in the National Team Indoor Final 16. The win also marked the Rebels first 3-0 start since 2010.

Scholtz went 3-1 in singles and doubles in his first collegiate action of the year to lead the fourth-seeded Rebels. The reigning SEC Player of the Year posted wins against two ranked players in singles and one ranked team in doubles. Scholtz paired up with freshman Zvonimir Babic to win their first match together, 6-2 against the 49th-ranked team. His straight-set win against 34th-ranked Maxx Lipman got the Rebels on the board against Florida, after they had dropped the doubles point and five first sets. On Sunday, Scholtz rallied from a set down and staved off match point in the second set against South Carolina’s Thiego Phineiro, who retired down 3-1 in the third set.

This marks the second time in his career for Scholtz to be named SEC Player of the Week. He also earned the honor in 2013.

Hansson went 2-0 in singles and clinched the win over Florida against Gator junior Gordon Watson, at No. 3 singles. He rallied after dropping the first set to win 7-5 in the third-set tiebreaker. Less than 24 hours later, Hansson downed Gamecock senior Kyle Koch in straight sets to get the Rebels on the board, after they had dropped the doubles point once again and four first sets in singles.

Scholtz and Hansson helped the Rebels back into the top 25 as well. In the latest ITA National Team Rankings released Wednesday, Ole Miss moved up to No. 20.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics. 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.