University of Tennessee Athletics
Coaches Pick Tennessee as Preseason SEC Eastern Division Favorite
January 22, 2009 | Men's Tennis
Jan. 22, 2009
The Southeastern Conference announced the men's tennis coaches' preseason poll, Thursday, in preparation of the start of the spring tennis season. Tennessee was picked to win the Eastern Division over Florida and two-time defending National Champion Georgia.
The Vols finished second in the Eastern Division last season and return five lettermen that played in their singles lineup including SEC Freshman of the Year and NCAA singles finalist John-Patrick Smith. Last weekend, UT won the singles (Smith) and doubles (Smith and Davey Sandgren) titles at the SEC Coaches' Indoor Championships.
The Ole Miss Rebels were picked as the overall champion. Last season, the Rebels went 24-5 and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships. They finished the year ranked No. 6 and won the SEC Tournament title. Ole Miss is currently ranked ninth in the ITA Men's Tennis Rankings.
Tennessee was voted as Eastern Division Champion, with Florida being voted second. Georgia was voted third, with Kentucky in fourth, Vanderbilt in fifth and South Carolina in sixth.
Ole Miss was also voted as Western Division Champion, with LSU in the #2 spot. Alabama came in third with Auburn in the fourth spot. Arkansas and Mississippi State rounded out the list at fifth and sixth, respectively.
The preseason poll is voted on by the SEC Men's Tennis Coaches and is based on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 count.
The eighth-ranked Vols open the dual-match season Saturday with a doubleheader. UT faces 37th-ranked ETSU at 10:30 a.m. and Tennessee Wesleyan at 4 p.m. All matches at the Goodfriend Indoor Tennis Center are free to the public. Live scoring can be found at UTsports.com
| 2009 Men's Tennis Coaches Preseason Poll | |
| Eastern Division | |
| 1. Tennessee | 67 |
| 2. Florida | 59 |
| 3. Georgia | 53 |
| 4. Kentucky | 35 |
| 5. Vanderbilt | 22 |
| 6. South Carolina | 16 |
| Western Division | |
| 1. Ole Miss | 71 |
| 2. LSU | 54 |
| 3. Alabama | 44 |
| 4. Auburn | 43 |
| 5. Arkansas | 22 |
| 6. Mississippi State | 18 |
| Overall Regular Season Champion: Ole Miss (7 votes); Tennessee (3); Florida (2) | |
Players Mentioned
