University of Tennessee Athletics
Men and Women’s Tennis Teams Each Crack Top 20 of ITA Rankings
March 26, 2019 | Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the first time since April of 2012, the Tennessee men's and women's tennis teams are both ranked inside the top 20 of the ITA team rankings at the same time.
The men's team came in at No. 15 in Tuesday's updated rankings, their highest ranking of the 2019 season. The women's team rose 11 spots to No. 18 following a pair of wins over Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
"It's been a blast working alongside our men's coaches," Lady Vol head coach Alison Ojeda said. "Woody, James and Ben do a fantastic job and everyone in our facility is sharing the same positive message of discipline, energy and unity. I'm excited for our future!"
Added men's assistant coach James McKie: "It's a huge achievement for both programs. It's great to see all the hard work pay off. We all have to keep pushing, as the most important part of the season is at the end."
The Lady Vols' season has included three wins over top 25 teams and seen the doubles duo of Sadie Hammond and Kaitlin Staines ascend all the way to the No. 6 ranked doubles team in the country, the highest ranking by a Tennessee doubles team since the 2013 season's final rankings, when Kata Szekely and Brynn Boren ranked No. 5 in the nation.
The Lady Vols (14-5, 4-3 SEC) return to action this weekend with road matches against Auburn and Alabama.
"We work so hard, day in and day out to be able to come out and compete on match days," Staines said. "The strength and conditioning we have been doing with coach Brad Roll is showing on the tennis court.
"We are all definitely as fit and as strong as we have ever been. It continues to help our games immensely and we are so grateful for the work that coach Roll is putting into the program."
Added Hammond: "Our program believes that preparation comes from what we do in practice. We really value the time on court during the week because we know it's going to make us stronger and better for the weekend.
"This year, every player has been accountable for their practices and we have focused on getting one percent better every day. Doing the little details add up over a span of even just a week. Our preparation makes us confident as a team to achieve the goals we set out for each week."
Including this week, the men's team has spent eight weeks inside the top 25 this season.
The Vols (12-6, 3-4) have notable wins this season such as ranked wins over NC State, LSU, South Carolina and Ole Miss and a victory over Duke at the televised College MatchDay in Orlando, Fla.
The men's team came in at No. 15 in Tuesday's updated rankings, their highest ranking of the 2019 season. The women's team rose 11 spots to No. 18 following a pair of wins over Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
"It's been a blast working alongside our men's coaches," Lady Vol head coach Alison Ojeda said. "Woody, James and Ben do a fantastic job and everyone in our facility is sharing the same positive message of discipline, energy and unity. I'm excited for our future!"
Added men's assistant coach James McKie: "It's a huge achievement for both programs. It's great to see all the hard work pay off. We all have to keep pushing, as the most important part of the season is at the end."
The Lady Vols' season has included three wins over top 25 teams and seen the doubles duo of Sadie Hammond and Kaitlin Staines ascend all the way to the No. 6 ranked doubles team in the country, the highest ranking by a Tennessee doubles team since the 2013 season's final rankings, when Kata Szekely and Brynn Boren ranked No. 5 in the nation.
The Lady Vols (14-5, 4-3 SEC) return to action this weekend with road matches against Auburn and Alabama.
"We work so hard, day in and day out to be able to come out and compete on match days," Staines said. "The strength and conditioning we have been doing with coach Brad Roll is showing on the tennis court.
"We are all definitely as fit and as strong as we have ever been. It continues to help our games immensely and we are so grateful for the work that coach Roll is putting into the program."
Added Hammond: "Our program believes that preparation comes from what we do in practice. We really value the time on court during the week because we know it's going to make us stronger and better for the weekend.
"This year, every player has been accountable for their practices and we have focused on getting one percent better every day. Doing the little details add up over a span of even just a week. Our preparation makes us confident as a team to achieve the goals we set out for each week."
Including this week, the men's team has spent eight weeks inside the top 25 this season.
The Vols (12-6, 3-4) have notable wins this season such as ranked wins over NC State, LSU, South Carolina and Ole Miss and a victory over Duke at the televised College MatchDay in Orlando, Fla.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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