Jan. 9, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With the start to the season just a little over two weeks away, the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team earned a national ranking of No. 33 in the preseason poll released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) on Tuesday.
The No. 33 ranking is the highest preseason ranking for the Commodores since the 2005 season when they were ranked No. 20. Last season, Vanderbilt was ranked No. 63 in the preseason and finished the year ranked No. 36 after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In 2006, the team was ranked No. 38 in the preseason.
The depth of the Southeastern Conference is clearly illustrated in the rankings with 11 of the 12 teams ranking among the top 56 teams, including eight teams ranked No. 33 or higher.
Individually, sophomore Vijay Paul is ranked No. 78 and is the lone Commodore in the singles rankings.
Paul finished the fall season with a 10-3 record after winning four of his last five matches.
The Commodores open their 2008 season on Jan. 27 when Michigan State comes to town for an 11 a.m. match.