University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Moves up in Latest ITA Rankings
March 12, 2003 | Men's Tennis
March 12, 2003
After notching an upset victory over then-No. 15 Alabama last Friday, Tennessee saw itself jump one spot to No. 26 in the latest Omni Hotels/ITA Collegiate Tennis Team Rankings, which were released Wednesday.
There was no movement among the top 10 teams, as Illinois held strong atop the rankings, followed by Florida, UCLA, Baylor, California, Stanford, Duke, Mississippi, Kentucky and Washington, respectively.
The SEC continued its strong presence in the rankings, as all 12 teams remained in the ITA top 40.
In the individual rankings, which were also updated Wednesday, Tennessee saw one singles player rise in the rankings, while another dropped. In doubles, one Vol tandem fell out of the top 60, but was replaced by a previously unranked UT combo.
Tennessee's highest-ranked singles netter, junior Simon Rea, climbed 9 spots to No. 31 in the nation. Rea has compiled an overall season singles record of 19-6, including a 5-3 mark against ranked opponents. Mark Dietrich, previously listed as the nation's No. 69-ranked singles collegian, dropped six spots to No. 75. Dietrich's season singles record currently stands at 15-10.
After going undefeated at the No. 1 doubles position since being promoted to the top spot in the SEC opener at Kentucky, the Tennessee team of Dietrich and Wade Orr debuted at No. 50 in the new ITA doubles rankings. The pair is 10-2 overall on the season, and has not yielded a service break in the past four contests.
The Vol pairing of Rea and sophomore Mark Henderson, previously tied for No. 37 in the doubles rankings, fell out of the rankings after going 1-3 in SEC play.
