William Kallberg
Ole Miss Team Page
OXFORD, Miss. – After spending the first part of January in Florida, including a 6-1 victory at UCF last week, the Ole Miss men’s tennis team faces a great opportunity this weekend to pick up a signature win right out of the gate, as they head back to Florida (Gainesville) for the ITA Kick-Off.
The Rebels (1-0) will face No. 13 Florida in the first round Saturday at 10 a.m. CT at the Alfred Ring Tennis Complex. Stanford and South Carolina will meet in the other first round match. The winners will face off Sunday for a berth in the National Team Indoor Final 16.
“The first trip to Florida allowed us to bond and become closer as a team, which will help us down the road,” head coach Toby Hansson said. “From a confidence standpoint, we played and won a lot of matches. We are looking forward to the opportunity this weekend.”
About the ITA Kick-Off …
A total of 60 teams are competing for a place in the National Team Indoor Championships in Chicago Feb. 13-16. Host Illinois receives an automatic bid, leaving 15 spots available for each regional winner to complete the 16-team field. The National Indoor began in 1973 and Ole Miss has played in it 18 times.
Weekend Schedule …
Saturday: #32 Ole Miss vs. #13 Florida – 11 a.m.
Sunday: #32 Ole Miss vs. #29 South Carolina/#31 Stanford - TBD
Win No. 1 for Hansson …
Ole Miss got the Toby Hansson era off to a winning start, downing UCF 6-1 last Friday to begin the season. The Rebels won the doubles point and then picked up straight set wins from Stefan Lindmark at No. 1, William Kallberg at No. 4 and Ricardo Jorge and No. 5 singles to close out the Knights.
Who’s Hot? …
A few Rebels are coming into the weekend on a nice win streak. Sophomore Ricardo Jorge comes in on a five-match win streak with a team-leading 13-4 record. Senior William Kallberg has won four in a row. Kallberg also teams with freshman Gustav Hansson for a 9-2 record. The duo has won five in a row.
Shark Sighting …
The reigning SEC Player of the Year, Nik Scholtz, known by everyone around here as the “Shark,” announced last week that he would be returning to Ole Miss for his senior season. This weekend’s matches will mark his first competition with the Rebels since the NCAA Individual Championships last season. Look for a story on Scholtz decision to return Friday, on OleMissSports.com.
Scouting Florida …
Florida is ranked No. 13 in the nation and comes into the weekend 2-0 after posting victories against William & Mary and Troy. The Gators are led by sophomore Maxx Lipman, who is ranked No. 34 in singles. They also boast two others players in the rankings, junior Diego Hidalgo at No. 60 and sophomore Elliott Orkin at No. 81.
The Rest of the Bracket …
The rest of the regional in Gainesville includes South Carolina and Stanford. The Gamecocks started the season 2-0 with wins against Elon and Furman. Stanford began the season with a 6-1 win against UC Davis before competing in the Sherwood Cup in Thousand Oaks, California.
Follow the Rebels in ITA Kick-Off …
All matches during the ITA Kick-Off will have live scoring. Also follow @OleMissMTennis on Twitter for updates.
National Rankings …
The Rebels are ranked No. 32 in the latest ITA Team Rankings. Junior Stefan Lindmark is ranked No. 80 in singles, and sophomore Ricardo Jorge is ranked No. 120.
Plenty of Opportunities to Move up …
Ole Miss will have plenty of opportunities to improve upon its preseason ranking with a schedule full of top 25 opponents. The Rebels will face eight teams currently ranked in the top 25, and 12 in the top 50.
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.
