Jan. 16, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team was picked to finish sixth in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference, as voted on by the league’s head coaches and announced by the conference office on Wednesday.
Ranked No. 33 in the preseason ITA rankings, the Commodores received 17 points in the poll, just two behind South Carolina for fifth in the SEC East. Overall, Ole Miss was picked as the West Division and overall conference champion with 66 points. In the Eastern Division, Georgia led the way with 64 points, followed by Florida with 51.
The Commodores return four of six starters from last year’s team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finished 4-7 in the SEC. The No. 33 preseason ranking is the highest for the Commodores since the 2005 season and the highest under third-year head coach Ian Duvenhage.
Points for the poll were awarded on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
Vanderbilt opens its spring slate on Jan. 27 when Michigan State travels to Nashville.
2008 Men’s Tennis Coaches Preseason Poll
Eastern Division
1. Georgia, 64
2. Florida, 51
3. Tennessee, 49
4. Kentucky, 31
5. South Carolina, 19
6. Vanderbilt, 17
Western Division
1. Ole Miss, 66
2. LSU , 49
3. Alabama, 46
4. Auburn, 29
5. Mississippi State, 26
6. Arkansas, 15
Overall Regular Season Champion: Ole Miss (6 votes); Georgia (4); Tennessee (1)
*Note: One coach did not return ballot.
