Jan. 24, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team was selected to finish fourth in the SEC Eastern Division in a vote by the league’s head coaches, the conference office announced on Monday.
The 26th-ranked Commodores received 32 votes to finish behind Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. Florida was a unanimous choice for first place in the east, and they were also selected to finish as conference champions. Last season, the Gators finished with an 11-0 record in conference play and advanced to the NCAA Championships.
Alabama and Ole Miss were selected by league coaches to finish first and second in the western division. Just one point separated the two, as Alabama received 65 points and Ole Miss had 64.
The Commodores opened the season with a 4-3 win over No. 9 Northwestern. The ’Dores travel to Clemson, S.C. this weekend to participate in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, where they will face Marshall in the opening round.
The preseason poll is voted on by the SEC women’s tennis coaches and is based on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 count. The complete poll is below.
2011 Women’s tennis coaches preseason poll
Eastern division
1. Florida 72
2. Georgia 58
3. Tennessee 48
4. Vanderbilt 32
5. South Carolina 29
6. Kentucky 13
Western division
1. Alabama 65
2. Ole Miss 64
3. Arkansas 50
4. LSU 31
5. Auburn 30
6. Mississippi State 12