Jan. 22, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Vanderbilt’s men’s tennis team was selected to finish fifth in the SEC Eastern Division in a vote by the league’s head coaches that was announced Friday by the conference office.
Ranked No. 55 nationally, the Commodores received 21 points in the poll, 16 points behind Kentucky, who was picked to finish fourth in the SEC East. South Carolina was picked to finished sixth in the SEC East. Vanderbilt’s preseason selection is a strong indication of how strong the SEC is in tennis, where all 12 programs are ranked.
Tennessee was picked as the overall conference champion with 69 total points and 10 of 12 first-place votes. Ole Miss was picked to win the SEC West with 68 points.
Florida and Georgia were picked to finish second in the SEC East with 55 points. Both the Gators and Bulldogs also garnered a first-place vote.
Vanderbilt began the 2010 spring season with a pair of 7-0 wins over Belmont and Chattanooga last week. The Commodores will be in action at 3 p.m. Friday at N.C. State and will face Michigan on Saturday at noon.
Points for the poll were awarded on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
2010 Men’s Tennis Coaches Preseason Poll
Eastern Division
1. Tennessee 69
T2. Florida 55
T2. Georgia 55
4. Kentucky 37
5. Vanderbilt 21
6. South Carolina 15
Western Division
1. Ole Miss 68
2. LSU 50
3. Auburn 40
4. Mississippi State 39
5. Alabama 38
6. Arkansas 17
Overall Regular Season Champion: Tennessee (10 votes); Florida (1); Georgia (1).