Longhorns hit the road to take on former Southwest Conference rival SMU.
WHAT: No. 8 Texas (9-2) takes on SMU.
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 28 – Noon Central
WHERE: Turpin Tennis Stadium – Dallas, Texas
LAST TEXAS-SMU MEETING: Texas defeated SMU by a 5-2 count on Jan. 26, 2008 in Austin.
LAST TIME OUT: Texas defeated Arkansas by a 5-2 margin on Feb. 22 in Austin.
THE 2009 LONGHORNS: Ninth-year head coach
Michael Center and assistant coach
Ricardo Rubio, the 2008 ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year, welcome four singles starters – each of whom have earned All-America honors as Longhorns - from last year’s NCAA runner-up squad. Junior
Dimitar Kutrovsky returns after holding down the No. 1 singles slot in his first two seasons. The native Bulgarian clinched UT’s 2008 NCAA quarterfinal win over Ohio State and its NCAA semifinal win over UCLA.
Sophomores
Kellen Damico and
Ed Corrie earned ITA doubles All-America honors a season ago and earned a spot on the 2008 NCAA All-Tournament Team at No. 1 doubles. Senior
Miguel Reyes Varela, who earned ITA doubles All-America honors as a freshman, was selected to the 2008 NCAA All-Tournament Team at No. 6 singles and at No. 2 doubles with former Longhorn Luis Diaz Barriga.
Junior
Josh Zavala teamed up with Kutrovsky to land the No. 3 doubles slot on the 2008 NCAA All-Tournament Team. UT welcomes junior
Olivier Sajous, a top-50 standout who played the last two seasons at Florida Atlantic University.
NEW ITA RANKINGS RELEASED: Texas features four student-athletes in the newly-released Campbell’s ITA College Tennis singles rankings, and all three starting doubles teams are ranked, as well. Junior
Dimitar Kutrovsky holds a No. 30 singles ranking, and sophomore
Ed Corrie ranks 45th. Junior
Olivier Sajous ranks 76th, and sophomore
Kellen Damico comes in at No. 99.
Kutrovsky and junior
Josh Zavala rank 16th in the ITA doubles rankings, while Corrie and Damico rank 55th. Sajous and senior
Miguel Reyes Varela rank 60th in the ITA doubles rankings.
