ATHENS, Ga.
Results |
NCAA Tournament: Illinois defeats Ole Miss, 4-3 
- Fifth-ranked Kevin Anderson was masterful in his three-set win over No. 13-ranked Erling Tveit of Mississippi, propelling the Illini to a 4-3 upset victory over Ole Miss in the Round of 16 at the NCAA Team Championships today. With the victory, the Illini gets another shot at No. 2 Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Team Championships on Saturday, May 19, at noon at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
"I was very proud of our team's resiliency today," head coach Brad Dancer said. "We knew we had a huge hill to climb after falling behind in the doubles, but we came out and fought in every point. I couldn't be more proud of this team's effort today. Kevin was great in his match, fighting and staying focused. I have said it since the beginning, Kevin has a solid forehand and backhand, but today what won him the match was his mental toughness."
To accomplish the feat, the Illini for only the third time all season and for the second straight match, dug out of a doubles-point deficit to overcome a feisty SEC foe, Mississippi. With experience on their side, as the Illini had to dig deep to hit past Michigan 4-2 last weekend in the Second Round of the NCAA Championships, Illinois again showed its never-say-quit attitude when it mattered the most.
"I think in the past, we have always had the talent to advance but have fallen in the Round of 16 the last two years," senior GD Jones said. "We have just put things together here at the end and have been able to show our strength in singles even after not playing our best in doubles. It was great to get the win today."
In an even more stifling note and mountain to conquer for Illinois, Ole Miss was 100-4 overall since 2002 when winning the doubles point, and boasted a 20-0 mark in 2007 before the Illini upset today.
From the beginning of the match, the Rebels were clicking on all cylinders in the doubles portion, but a shift in the in the contest worked in the Orange and Blue's favor, as they rattled off four singles wins at Nos. 3, 2, 5 and 1 to claim the 4-3 come-from-behind win.
"It is the biggest tournament of the year, you have to come out with your best," junior Kevin Anderson said. "The atmosphere is just great here in Georgia. Today as a team, we came together after a slow start in doubles and got it done. It's just the third match of the tournament and we know we have four more to go. This team is still hungry and is not done. Ohio State is a tough team and we have faced them already twice before. It is going to be a good and grueling match on Saturday."
With the win, the Illini have now advanced to the quarterfinals four out of the last eight years and for the first time since 2004. Overall, Illinois is 2-3 in the Elite Eight and improved to 6-2 in the Round of 16 with today's win.
The victory moved Illinois to 2-1 against the Rebels in the postseason as it bested Ole Miss in their last NCAA Team Championships matchup in 2003 (4-1) en route to the program's first NCAA team title.
"After today's win, we have continued to build up our confidence in tight matches," sophomore Marc Spicijaric said. "Every match counts and when you get that first point the whole team starts to feel like they have a chance of winning. I know in the beginning of the season, we struggled a little bit after winning the double point in singles. In these last two matches, we have shown that we are playing a lot better in singles and have confidence in our ability to seal a match win in singles."
Illinois next faces Ohio State in the Elite Eight, marking the third time this season the two teams' have faced, second in the postseason as they both met on the courts of the Big Ten Tournament finals two weeks ago. Illinois is currently on a four-match skid against the Buckeyes since first losing to OSU during the regular season in 2006 and is 0-2 in the postseason during that same stretch - losing in the Big Ten finals in 2006 and 2007. The Illini hope to end that streak as they look to continue their journey towards the program's second NCAA title in the last five years on Saturday.
The Buckeyes are making their second straight trip to the quarterfinals and third in the last four years. In Buckeye tennis history, Ohio State has never been able to break through into the semifinals. The Illini have made two appearances in the semifinals since 2000, winning both in 2003 and 2004. The matchup will be the first time in program history the Illini have to face a Big Ten opponent this late in the bracket.
MATCH RECAP: ILLINI FIGHT PAST THE REBELS
In the doubles portion of the match, the Illini top pair of No. 8 Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe found themselves in trouble, down an early break at 4-1 to the Mississippi duo of No. 24 Erling Tveit and Erik Claesson. On courts two and three, the pairs of juniors Ruben Gonzales and Brandon Davis (ILL) and senior GD Jones and sophomore Marc Spicijaric (ILL) also were down a break, 3-1, in their respective tilts.
However, an Illini friendly air blew in and seemed to be sending the sails in favor of the Orange and Blue. The come-back breeze fell short of helping Illinois at No. 1 doubles, as Anderson and Rowe (ILL) fought off three match points before falling 8-5 to Tveit and Claesson (MISS), but was not too late to give boosts to the Fighting Illini on the remaining courts.
At the same points in their respective matches, Davis and Gonzales (ILL) and Jones and Spicijaric (ILL) broke back to even both contests at 5-all. The junior duo of Davis and Gonzales (ILL) used the break to seal another break on Ole Miss' next service game to take a 6-5 lead. However, a storming No. 3 doubles team from Mississippi would not let up, as Jakob Klaeson and Robbye Poole (MISS) stole a pair of breaks on court three to clinch the doubles point behind an 8-5 victory over Jones and Spicijaric (ILL).
From that point on, the odds were not on Illinois' favor as the Rebels were 100-4 since 2000, and 20-0 this season after winning the doubles point heading into singles.
In singles, the match was nothing less than a dogfight with Mississippi increasing its lead when Gonzales (ILL) fell 6-4, 6-2 on court three to Robbye Poole (MISS). Spicijaric (ILL) answered with the Illini's first point of the afternoon, using passing shot after passing shot to storm by No. 118 Wellerman (MISS) 6-4, 6-4. Ole Miss moved a point away from victory at 3-2 with a win at No. 6 singles before Jones (ILL) constructed a crowd-pleaser at No. 5 singles after sending the second set to a tiebreak after claiming the first 6-2.
With every fan, Illini or not, crowding around the action, the senior brought on-lookers steps away from a heart attack with every long rally. With gasps echoing from every direction, Jones (ILL) watched the final miss-hit from Jonas Berg (MISS) go long to win the second set 7-6, 11-9 in the tiebreaker. Berg's loss, who before falling to the Illini senior was undefeated in dual matches at 20-0 on the season, brought the match's fate to rest on the racquets of No. 1 singles.
With a set in the bag, Ole Miss' No. 13 Tveit was in a battle in the second set with No. 5 Anderson (ILL) as the score was 3-all and still on serve. The two would settle in the second frame in another tiebreak, this time Anderson jumping out to a quick 4-2 lead. With an untouchable serve, the Johannesburg, South Africa native blasted to a second win, 7-3, to setup a barnburner in the third.
In the third, Anderson (ILL) made Tveit (MISS) work for every point, while also stringing together some of his best tennis of the year as he unleashed a total of 11 un-returnable serves and two aces at Tveit (MISS), who came no where close to breaking the entire set. In the end, Tveit (MISS) mentally could not match Anderson's (ILL) intensity, as he tossed in a total of 14 first-serve faults and a total of six double faults before Anderson (ILL) made him pay at 3-all, breaking the Ole Miss junior to take a 4-3 lead. Tossing in a 40-love game on his own serve, Anderson (ILL) broke Tveit (MISS) to win the third, 6-3, and clinch the dual-match victory.
OHIO STATE PREVIEW
The Illini, with a spirited win over Mississippi, set up a collision course for its third rubber match scenario of 2007, as they now face No. 2-seeded and ranked Ohio State in the national quarterfinals. The Buckeyes defeated LSU, 4-0, in the earlier Round of 16 matches to advance.
Ohio State has bested Illinois in both of its previous meetings this year (April 16: 7-0 - Regular Season, April 29: 4-1 - Big Ten Tournament Finals), and currently is riding a four-match winning streak over the Fighting Illini, dating back to their regular-season meeting in 2006. While the score, 4-1, is not indicative of just how close Illinois was to beating OSU in the finals of the Big Ten Tournament, the Illini are going to need another remarkable and even more intense effort against the Buckeyes should they plan on advancing any further through the brackets.
TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
NCAA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
ROUND OF 16
ATHENS, GA.
5/17/07
#10 ILLINOIS def. #7 MISSISSIPPI, 4-3
Singles Competition
1. #5 Kevin Anderson (ILL) def. #13 Erling Tveit (OMISS) 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
2. #22 Ryan Rowe (ILL) def. #70 Eric Claesson (OMISS) 6-4, 6-4
3. Marc Spicijaric (ILL) def. #118 Matthias Wellerman (OMISS) 6-4, 6-4
4. #33 Robbye Poole (OMISS) def. Ruben Gonzales (ILL) 6-4, 6-2
5. GD Jones (ILL) def. Jonas Berg (OMISS) 6-2, 7-6 (11-9)
6. Kalle Norberg (OMISS) def. Brandon Davis (ILL) 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: Singles (4, 3, 6, 2, 5, 1)
Doubles Competition
1. #24 Erling Tveit/Eric Claesson (OMISS) def. #8 Kevin Anderson/Ryan Rowe (ILL) 8-5
2. Ruben Gonzales/Brandon Davis (ILL) vs. Matthias Wellerman/Jonas Berg (OMISS) 6-5, unfinished
3. Jakob Klaeson/Robbye Poole (OMISS) def. GD Jones/Marc Spicijaric (ILL) 8-5
Order of finish: Doubles (1, 3)
