University of Georgia Athletics
Road To The NCAA's: Part 5
March 07, 2007 | General
IN THE RANKS
An Update of the Fila/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings
The new Fila/ITA rankings were released Tuesday using the computer point-per-match formula instead of a poll for the first time this season, causing some changes from last week's rankings.
This change sent a new team to the women's No. 1 spot - the Florida Gators. The Gators, who are one of the few unbeaten teams left with a 10-0 record, return to the nation's No. 1 for the first time since Jan. 27, 2004. Joining Florida in the top 10 are Notre Dame, Georgia, Stanford, Northwestern, California, Georgia Tech, Clemson, William & Mary and North Carolina.
There was no change at No. 1 on the men's side, as undefeated Georgia (12-0) maintained its top spot. Along with Georgia in the top 10 are Ohio State, Virginia, Baylor, Illinois, UCLA, Notre Dame, Mississippi, Southern California and Oklahoma State.
Both the men's and women's rankings saw three new teams jump into the top 25. The South Alabama men's 10-0 start moved them to 18th, Clemson entered at 20th and Texas Tech is 23rd. Wichita State's women's 10-0 start also placed them at the No. 20 spot. The other newcomers are Florida International (22) and Kentucky (23).
With the Georgia women's team moving to the No. 3 spot and the men holding steady at No. 1, the Bulldogs have the highest average combined ranking of any school (2). Georgia is also the only school to have both of its tennis teams remain undefeated and in the top 25.
The Atlantic Coast Conference leads in both polls with the number of teams in the top 25 with five in the men's and six in the women's, while the Southeastern Conference holds both No. 1 rankings.
In addition to Georgia's No. 1 men's tennis team ranking, John Isner also owns a No. 1 ranking in singles and doubles with Luis Flores. The senior out of Greensboro, N.C., is the first player to do so since Stanford's Bob Bryan at the end of the 1998 season. Isner has won his last 45 singles dual matches dating back to April 8, 2005. He has already become the winningest Georgia doubles player and needs just 11 more victories to become the winningest singles player in Georgia history as well.
Audra Cohen of Miami stayed at No. 1 in the women's rankings. With a 20-1 overall record, the junior from Plantation, Fla., is riding a 15-match winning streak and is yet to lose a set in 10 dual matches this season.
MEN'S TENNIS
Fila/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I top 25:
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Virginia
4. Baylor
5. Illinois
6. UCLA
7. Notre Dame
8. Mississippi
9. USC
10. Oklahoma State
11. North Carolina
12. Wake Forest
13. Texas
14. Minnesota
15. LSU
16. Duke
17. Rice
18. South Carolina
19. Washington
20. Clemson
21. Michigan
22. Tulsa
23. Texas Tech
24. Pepperdine
25. VCU
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Fila/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I top 25:
1. Florida
2. Notre Dame
3. Georgia
4. Stanford
5. Northwestern
6. California
7. Georgia Tech
8. Clemson
9. William & Mary
10. North Carolina
11. USC
12. Miami (Fla.)
13. Fresno St.
14. Wake Forest
15. VCU
16. Tennessee
17. Texas A&M
18. Arizona State
19. UCLA
20. Wichita State
21. Duke
22. Florida International
23. Kentucky
24. Pepperdine
25. Baylor
WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE TENNIS
Here are some upcoming featured matches:
MEN'S TENNIS
Friday, March 9
#6 UCLA at #9 USC
* The Trojans look to keep a perfect record against rival UCLA on their home court.
* Should the Trojans win their match against the Bruins and Georgia win both its weekend contests, USC's March 14 matchup against Georgia in Athens will be a battle of unbeatens with national implications.
Wednesday, March 14
#9 USC at #1 Georgia
* Both teams are currently undefeated, and this match will have a big impact on the national picture.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Friday, March 9
#14 Wake Forest at #12 Miami
* One-loss Wake Forest and two-loss Miami will look for a key conference victory in the tough ACC to help push them closer to the top 10.
Sunday, March 11
#1 Florida at #3 Georgia
* Always a heated contest when rivals Florida and Georgia take the court, this year's match-up has much broader implications - it could be a battle for the top spot in the country.
* If both teams win their Friday matches (Florida at #16 Tennessee, #53 South Carolina at Georgia) both teams will be undefeated entering the contest in Athens.
* Georgia is looking for its first win over Florida since 2002, when they beat the Gators in Gainesville for their only home SEC loss in program history. The Gators had won 108 straight home SEC matches up to that point and are undefeated there since.
THIS WEEK'S SPOTLIGHT: MAKING STRIDES TO ATHENS
A closer look at the teams at the top at the midway point making a push to the NCAA Championships
The collegiate tennis season is nearing its midway point and conference play is just heating up as several squads on both sides are making convincing runs toward the 2007 NCAA Men's and Women's Tennis National Championships in Athens.
Georgia continues dominance in men's tennis action
For the men, Georgia began at the top and hasn't budged an inch. The Bulldogs are a perfect 12-0 with the 2007 USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championship already on their resume for the year. Ten of their 12 wins have been sweeps, and they only have dropped seven individual matches in singles and doubles combined all season. Georgia has won the doubles point in all 12 matches, sweeping it in five of eight completed doubles decisions. The Bulldogs have won their last 23 matches at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, site of this year's NCAA Tennis Championships.
Also with an impressive home-court winning streak is Ohio State, the nation's No. 2 team with a 12-1 record. The Buckeyes have won 46 straight at home dating back to the 2003 season. Their only loss of the year so far came to top-ranked Georgia in the National Team Indoor finals, 4-0.
Virginia, also with a 12-1 record, is the No. 3 team in the country. Like Ohio State, the only loss on its resume is to Georgia in the National Team Indoors. However, Virginia is the only team to win two singles matches against the Bulldogs.
Baylor and Illinois have also earned spots in the top five. The Bears are 11-2 with losses against Florida and Ohio State and the Illini are 8-3 but have lost two of their last three.
Three other teams besides Georgia own perfect records in the top 25. No. 9 USC is one of those, sitting at 9-0 for the year. The Trojans have four sweeps and two 6-1 decisions in those matches. North Carolina owns a 10-0 record to this point of the season, marking the second straight year they have opened the season with 10 or more victories. The Tar Heels now have won 34 straight non-conference regular season matches.
The last unbeaten men's team in the top 25 is South Alabama, who used its 10-0 start to move up to No. 18 in the rankings. It is the highest the Jaguars have been ranked since they finished ninth to end the 2001 season. Their 10-match winning streak is the most they have posted since winning 20 straight also during the 2001 season.
Other teams making pushes in the top 10 are UCLA (6), Notre Dame (7), Ole Miss (8) and Oklahoma State (10). The Bruins and Irish each have only two losses to their credit, while the Rebels and the Cowboys have one apiece. Wake Forest is right outside at No. 12 with one loss looking to make a jump into the top-10 mix as well.
Defending national champion Pepperdine has had a tough start to its year, just barely in the top 25 at 24th with a 7-6 overall record. They have lost five matches in a row, beginning with Georgia avenging last year's national championship loss by beating the Waves, 4-0, in the National Team Indoors.
Florida leads women's teams through early March
Florida took hold of the No. 1 spot in women's tennis this week after improving to a perfect 10-0 record. The Gators became the fifth different Florida team to be ranked No. 1 this season, along with football, men's basketball, gymnastics and men's golf. This is the Gators' first No. 1 ranking since Jan. 27, 2004. They started the year at No. 2 and have been Nos. 4 and 3 before getting back to the top spot this week. Florida has three wins over teams ranked in the top 11 at the time of the match.
Notre Dame kept its spot at No. 2. The Irish have a 12-1 record with their only loss coming to Georgia Tech in the National Team Indoor finals, 4-3. Since then they have won seven straight, three of those sweeps and two of them 6-1 decisions. They have posted six wins over teams currently in the top 25.
The third spot belongs to Georgia, who made a huge jump from 12th to third after its 9-0 start. The Bulldogs began the year ranked 24th and had moved as high as 12th last week. Three wins over top-15 teams, including National Team Indoor champion Georgia Tech, propelled the program's return to the top 10 for the first time since Feb. 4 of last year and the top five for the first time since April 5, 2005. Georgia has played and beaten six teams in the current top 35. The Bulldogs have recorded three sweeps and four 6-1 decisions.
Stanford and Northwestern round out the top five teams in the country. Stanford began the year at No. 1 as the three-time defending national champions both indoor and outdoor in the midst of one of the most dominating stretches in NCAA history. They were on an 89-match winning streak when Georgia Tech shocked the Cardinal, 4-3, in the National Team Indoor semifinals. Stanford has won six straight since then to own a spot in the top five.
Northwestern is 8-3 for the year, its only losses coming to Georgia Tech, North Carolina and in the National Team Indoors to Notre Dame. Their last two matches were cancelled because of weather conditions, including one to undefeated and ninth-ranked William & Mary.
William & Mary joins Florida and Georgia in the small crew of undefeated teams. The Tribe is off to its best start is school history, winning a program-record nine consecutive matches to begin the season. Six of their nine wins have come against nationally-ranked teams.
The other top-25 unbeaten team is 10-0 Wichita State. The Shockers have beaten seven nationally-ranked opponents in its 2007 campaign to move into the country's No. 20 spot.
Other teams in the women's top 10 looking to make a run to the national title include California, Georgia Tech, Clemson and North Carolina. Georgia Tech had a tremendous start to its season, winning the National Team Indoors for the first time in program history, defeating Stanford and ending the Cardinal's 89-match winning streak en route to the title that propelled them to a No. 1 ranking. However, the Yellow Jackets have lost four matches since to drop to seventh.
Just as the Wake Forest men lurk right outside the top 10, so do the women at 14th, with only one loss. No. 23 Kentucky has only one loss as well.
The University of Georgia will play host to the 2007 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, May 17-28. For ticket and tournament information, please visit the NCAA Tournament Information Center on georgiadogs.com. |
