Huge Comeback Lifts Cavaliers to 4-3 Win at Ole Miss

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OXFORD, Miss. – The third-ranked Virginia men’s tennis team posted one of the biggest comebacks in program history, rallying from down 3-0 for a 4-3 win at No. 16 Ole Miss on Wednesday at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. The Cavaliers lost the doubles point and dropped five first sets before rallying to improve to 10-1 on the season. The Rebels fell to 5-3 with the loss.

For the second consecutive match, the Cavaliers fell behind early by dropping the doubles point. Ole Miss swept all three doubles matches by an 8-6 score to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Johan Backstrom and William Kallberg defeated Mitchell Frank (Annandale, Va.) and Julen Uriguen (Guatemala City, Guatemala) at No. 3, Nik Scholtz and Jonas Lutjen downed Alex Domijan (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) and Steven Rooda (Amersfoort, The Netherlands) at No. 2 and Marcel and Chris Thiemann topped Jarmere Jenkins (College Park, Ga.) and Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.) at No. 1.

In singles, the Rebels continued their momentum with taking five of the six first sets. Ole Miss extended its lead to 3-0 in the match with a pair of straight set. Kallberg topped Oudshoorn at No. 4 and Scholtz downed Domijan at No. 1. The final four matches went to a third set.

Virginia won the first three three-set matches completed to draw even. Frank got the Cavaliers’ first point of the afternoon as he topped Lutjen 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 at the No. 3 position. Jenkins followed with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 2 over Marcel Thiemann. Uriguen posted a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 win over Backstrom at No. 6 to make the score 3-all.

The match came down to the contest at No. 5 where Shane forced a third set against Chris Thiemann after losing the first. In the final set, Shane led 5-2 before Thiemann ran off four straight games to serve for the match at 6-5. Shane broke back to force a decisive tiebreaker, which he won 7-4 to clinch the victory for the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers return home to begin a three-match homestand on March 16 as they host Oklahoma. Match time at the Snyder Tennis Center is 3 p.m.

#3 VIRGINIA 4, #16 MISSISSIPPI 3

Doubles:
1. #19 Thiemann/Thiemann (OM) def. #13 Courtney/Jenkins (UVa) 8-6
2. Scholtz/Lutjen (OM) def. #60 Domijan/Rooda (UVa) 8-6
3. Backstrom/Kallberg (OM) def. Frank/Uriguen (UVa) 8-6

Singles:
1. #55 Nik Scholtz (OM) def. #53 Alex Domijan (UVa) 6-3, 6-4
2. #8 Jarmere Jenkins (UVa) def. #46 Marcel Thiemann (OM) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
3. #1 Mitchell Frank (UVa) def. #48 Jonas Lutjen (OM) 1-6, 6-4, 6-1
4. #49 William Kallberg (OM) def. Philippe Oudshoorn (UVa) 6-1, 6-4
5. #72 Justin Shane (UVa) def. #97 Chris Thiemann (OM) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4)
6. Julen Uriguen (UVa) def. Johan Backstrom (OM) 7-5, 3-6, 6-3

Order of Finish:
Doubles: 3,2,1
Singles: 4,1,3,2,6,5