University of Tennessee Athletics
Libietis, Reese Ranked Preseason No. 1
September 08, 2014 | Men's Tennis
Tennessee seniors Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese stayed at No. 1 in the ITA national doubles preseason rankings, which were released Monday.
The doubles top ranking has become increasingly the norm for Libietis and Reese, who won the NCAA doubles championships in May and ended the 2013-14 season at No. 1. They compiled a 36-5 record in their third season atop the UT doubles lineup.
The veteran pair also represent the Vols in the national singles rankings. Reese is ranked 21st and Libietis is 24th.
The ITA also released its entry list for the ITA All-American Championships, the first major individual championship of the fall held Oct. 2-5. Libietis and Reese will make their title defense there, having won the doubles competition there in 2013.
Team rankings are not released until January. The Vols ended the 2014 season ranked 20th and reached the round of 16 of the NCAA team championships. Five of six starters return in addition to the arrival of three freshmen: Jess Jones, Igor Smilansky and Luis Valero.
Tennessee starts the fall season this weekend with the Southern Intercollegiate Championships at the University of Georgia.
LIBIETIS RETURNS TO DAVIS CUP
Libietis is back in Latvia this week to represent his home nation in a Davis Cup match against Austria, which will be held Sept. 12-14 in Valmiera's Vidzemes Olimpiskaos Centrs.
The relegation match determines which group has the opportunity to stay in Europe/Africa Group I for 2015.
Libietis is one of 10 Vols all time to have played in Davis Cup. He rejoined the Latvian team in September 2013 for a victory over Finland. He earned his first individual Davis Cup win there, winning the doubles match with top-20 professional Ernests Gulbis.
