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“This was a great win for the program. They progressed throughout the tournament,” said Ole Miss assistant coach Toby Hansson, who was with the guys this weekend in Tulsa. The quarterfinals and semifinals was the best they’ve played. It was really windy, and the conditions were tough out there today. But, they handled the pressure really well. Their experience and success in the NCAAs paid off. You could tell they were ready to play.”
It was the second year in a row for Ole Miss to have a finalist in the doubles at the All-American, and second for Berg, who teamed up with former three-time All-American Erling Tveit to finish runner-up last year. Berg and Tveit also made the finals at the NCAAs in Tulsa, while ten Berge and his partner, former All-American Matthias Wellermann, reached the semifinals at the NCAAs.
Back to the singles competition, where Venus, No. 20 in preseason ITA rankings, and Nedovyesov squared off. The 6-3 LSU senior was battling severe knee pain. Venus was able to capture the first set by a 7-6 (5) mark, but faltered in the following set, allowing Nedovyesov to post a 6-2 mark.
“Michael lost concentration in the second set and the match could have easily slid downhill,” LSU assistant coach Danny Bryan said. “His knee was hurting him so badly, I though he was going to have to stop the match, but he was able to fight through it and that’s what made the third set so amazing.”
After a close first set and falling in the second, Venus was able to overcome both the physical and mental hurdle his knee caused and capture the match in a stellar third set performance. Venus posted a 6-4 mark to win the set and the championship match.
“Winning felt good. I was hurting and as I got into the third set, Danny motivated me and reminded me of how hard I had worked. It gave me the motivation I needed to push through when things got tough,” Venus said.
Venus’ run at the 2008 ITA All- American advanced him over six ranked opponents in the ITA’s preseason rankings. Venus began his campaign on a solid note as he knocked off No. 98 Roy Kalmanovich of Illinois, 6-2, 6-2, before moving into the second round to defeat No. 23 Jaime Hunt of Georgia , 6-4, 7-6(8).
The highlight of Venus’ performance prior to the finals would be his victory over No. 4 Alex Clayton of Stanford. He advanced in straight sets over Clayton, 6-4, 6-1, moving into the tournament quarterfinals.
“This was a great win for the program. They progressed throughout the tournament,” said Ole Miss assistant coach Toby Hansson, who was with the guys this weekend in Tulsa. The quarterfinals and semifinals was the best they’ve played. It was really windy, and the conditions were tough out there today. But, they handled the pressure really well. Their experience and success in the NCAAs paid off. You could tell they were ready to play.”
It was the second year in a row for Ole Miss to have a finalist in the doubles at the All-American, and second for Berg, who teamed up with former three-time All-American Erling Tveit to finish runner-up last year. Berg and Tveit also made the finals at the NCAAs in Tulsa, while ten Berge and his partner, former All-American Matthias Wellermann, reached the semifinals at the NCAAs.
Back to the singles competition, where Venus, No. 20 in preseason ITA rankings, and Nedovyesov squared off. The 6-3 LSU senior was battling severe knee pain. Venus was able to capture the first set by a 7-6 (5) mark, but faltered in the following set, allowing Nedovyesov to post a 6-2 mark.
“Michael lost concentration in the second set and the match could have easily slid downhill,” LSU assistant coach Danny Bryan said. “His knee was hurting him so badly, I though he was going to have to stop the match, but he was able to fight through it and that’s what made the third set so amazing.”
After a close first set and falling in the second, Venus was able to overcome both the physical and mental hurdle his knee caused and capture the match in a stellar third set performance. Venus posted a 6-4 mark to win the set and the championship match.
“Winning felt good. I was hurting and as I got into the third set, Danny motivated me and reminded me of how hard I had worked. It gave me the motivation I needed to push through when things got tough,” Venus said.
Venus’ run at the 2008 ITA All- American advanced him over six ranked opponents in the ITA’s preseason rankings. Venus began his campaign on a solid note as he knocked off No. 98 Roy Kalmanovich of Illinois, 6-2, 6-2, before moving into the second round to defeat No. 23 Jaime Hunt of Georgia , 6-4, 7-6(8).
The highlight of Venus’ performance prior to the finals would be his victory over No. 4 Alex Clayton of Stanford. He advanced in straight sets over Clayton, 6-4, 6-1, moving into the tournament quarterfinals.