Jan. 24, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Vanderbilt’s men’s tennis team was selected to finish fifth in the SEC Eastern Division, as voted on by the league’s head coaches, the conference announced on Monday.
The Commodores, who rank No. 39 nationally, received 24 points in the poll, 12 points ahead of sixth-place South Carolina. Kentucky was picked to finish fourth with 40 points. Ole Miss was selected to finish first in the SEC West with 70 points.
For the second consecutive year, Tennessee was picked to finish as league champions. The Volunteers went 11-0 in conference play last year and advanced to the NCAA finals.
The Commodores opened the 2011 season with a pair of 7-0 wins over Tennessee Tech and Lipscomb over the weekend. Vanderbilt travels to Palo Alto, Calif. this weekend for the ITA Kick-off Weekend where they will face Nebraska in the first round.
The poll is based on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 count in each division.
2011 Men’s tennis coaches preseason poll
Eastern Division
1. Tennessee 72
2. Georgia 57
3. Florida 51
4. Kentucky 40
5. Vanderbilt 24
6. South Carolina 12
Western Division
1. Ole Miss 70
2. Mississippi State 55
3. Auburn 45
4. LSU 37
5. Alabama 30
6. Arkansas 15
Overall regular season champion: Tennessee (10 points); Florida (1); Georgia (1)