Men’s Tennis Secures Doubleheader Sweep in First Outdoor Matches of Season – Ole Miss Athletics

OXFORD, Miss – On Sunday, the Ole Miss men’s tennis team (7-5, 0-1 SEC) opened up the outdoor season with a doubleheader sweep against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (4-8, 0-0 AAC) and Eastern Illinois Panthers (1-12, 0-0 OVC) at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
 
Ole Miss seized the day with back-to-back wins against Tulsa and Eastern Illinois, securing both victories 4-0. This marks the Rebel’s sixth and seventh sweep of the season as all of their wins have come in commanding fashion. 
 
The Rebels dominated the doubles point to open the match against the Golden Hurricane, then immediately followed by making some noise in singles play. 
 
The dynamic duo of Nikola Slavic and Lukas Engelhardt came to play on Sunday against the 55th-ranked Tulsa duo of Pierce Rollins and Timothy Seger, winning 6-3 on court one to kickstart the day for Ole Miss. 
 
The pair of John Halquist Lithen and Carson Baker let up no hustle against Tulsa’s Callum Gale and Gus Tettamble as the duo came away with a 6-3 win to clinch the doubles point for the Rebels. 
 
In singles, Isac Stromberg got the Rebels on the board early after his opponent was forced to retire. The sophomore secured a 6-3 first set victory before the match was halted. On court two, Lithen made a statement against Tulsa’s Thiago Pernas. The senior added another straight set win to the Rebels scoreboard after dominating, 6-1, 6-0. 
 
With the Rebels needing only one more win to clinch the match, Slavic stepped up to lead the way. After a competitive match, Slavic ultimately walked away with the 6-2, 6-4 win allowing Ole Miss to clinch the match, 4-0, over Tulsa. 
 
Later that day, Ole Miss squared off against Eastern Illinois to cap off non-conference play for the year. Doubles started off quick with two wins for the Rebels. The senior duo, Slavic and Engelhardt, earned their second victory on the day, winning 6-0.This win marks the 19th victory for the senior tandem this season. 
 
Lithen and Baker also earned their second win of the day against the Panthers as the pair walked away with a 6-1 triumph, clinching the doubles points for the Rebels. 
 
As for singles, Ole Miss came out hot as Brice Patoux got the Rebels their first point for singles with a 6-1, 6-0 win on court five. Baker followed quickly with a 6-0, 6-0 win and Gordon Whitwell earned himself his second singles victory of the season, winning 6-0, 6-1 to complete the 4-0 sweep. 
 
Up Next
The Rebels will now hit the road with a quick turnaround to their next match, as the team travels to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on the No. 25 LSU Tigers (11-2, 1-1 SEC) on Friday, March 8. The match is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. CT start time.
 
Rebels on Social
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, follow Coach Hansson on Twitter at @TennisToby.
 
Ole Miss 4, Tulsa 0
 
Singles
1. Nikola Slavic (OM) def. Pierce Rollins (TLS) 6-2, 6-4
2. J. Hallquist Lithen (OM) def. Thiago Pernas (TLS) 6-1, 6-0
3. Isac Stromberg (OM) def. Callum Gale (TLS) 6-3, retired
4. Noah Schlagenhauf (OM) vs. Timothy Seger (TLS) 6-4, 3-5, unfinished
5. Carson Baker (OM) vs. Alex Okonkwo (TLS) 6-4, 4-3, unfinished
6. Brice Patoux (OM) vs. Victor Tosetto (TLS) 6-7 (5-7), 1-2, unfinished
 
Doubles
1. Lukas Engelhardt/Nikola Slavic (OM) def. #55 Pierce Rollins/Timothy Seger (TLS) 6-3
2. Carson Baker/J. Hallquist Lithen (OM) def. Callum Gale/Gus Tettamble (TLS) 6-3
3. Isac Stromberg/Noah Schlagenhauf (OM) vs. Victor Tosetto/Alex Okonkwo (TLS) 5-5, unfinished
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (3,2,1)
 
Ole Miss 4, Eastern Illinois 0
 
Singles
1. J. Hallquist Lithen (OM) vs. Pau Riera (EIU) 6-0, 4-1, unfinished
2. Isac Stromberg (OM) vs. Tyler Carlin (EIU) 6-0, 5-1, unfinished
3. Lukas Engelhardt (OM) vs. Cameron Slabbert (EIU) 6-3, 1-0, unfinished
4. Carson Baker (OM) def. Thomas Wallace (EIU) 6-0, 6-0
5. Brice Patoux (OM) def. Zach White (EIU) 6-1, 6-0
6. Gordon Whitwell (OM) def. William Hays (EIU) 6-1, 6-1
 
Doubles
1. Nikola Slavic/Lukas Engelhardt (OM) def. Thomas Wallace/Pau Riera (EIU) 6-0
2. Carson Baker/J. Hallquist Lithen (OM) def. Tyler Carlin/Zach White (EIU) 6-1
3. Isac Stromberg/Walker Stearns (OM) vs. Cameron Slabbert/William Hays (EIU) 5-1, unfinished
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (5,4,6)