Courtesy of the ITA: SKILLMAN, NJ (Jan. 30) – The fifth annual ITA Kick-Off Weekend came to a close earlier this week, propelling 15 men’s and 15 women’s teams that successfully won both of their matches to the ITA National Men’s and Women’s Team Indoor Championships. For an event that is well-known for competitive pairings and potential upsets, most of the top teams in the ITA College Tennis Rankings remained unchanged as the Virginia men and Florida women remained as the No. 1 teams in nation for the third week in a row.
Follow the Leader: For the men, following Virginia is (in order): USC, UCLA, Ohio State, Duke, Georgia, Pepperdine, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Mississippi State. One the women’s side, Florida is followed by UCLA, Duke, USC, Stanford, Georgia, Cal, North Carolina, Alabama, and Miami.
Conference Count: Men’s Top 25: SEC – 9; Pac-12 – 5; ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten – 3; Conference USA and WCC – 1. Six different conferences placed at least one team in the top 10. Women’s Top 25: ACC and SEC – 6; Pac-12 – 4; Big 12 and Big Ten – 3; Big East, Conference USA and Ivy League – 1. All four of the Pac-12 teams ranked in the top 25 landed inside the top 10 this week, while the ACC and SEC each had three teams in the top 10.
Top 25 Caliber: Two teams broke into the Top 25 this week. The Texas A&M men were on the outside looking in last week but a dominant performance during ITA Kick-Off Weekend that included shutout wins against former No. 10 Stanford and current No. 26 San Diego, allowed the Aggies to jump 10 spots in this week’s rankings. On the women’s side, it was Yale who made their first appearance inside the Top 25 as they knocked off No. 19 Ole Miss in the opening round during ITA Kick-Off Weekend, 4-3. For Yale, this is their first time ranked in the Top 25 since March 20, 2012. For Texas A&M, April 3, 2012 was the last time they cracked the Top 25.
Top 75 Newcomers: Three teams have made their first appearance in the ITA College Rankings this week. The Purdue and Stetson men along with the women from William and Mary all charged into the Top 75. The No. 68 Boilermakers posted wins against a pair of Ivy League schools in former No. 49 Dartmouth and No. 51 Brown. No. 71 Stetson’s big win came in the form of a 5-2 upset against former No. 66 St. John’s. Meanwhile, No. 53 William and Mary took down current No. 74 Harvard on the road after stunning former No. 19 Ole Miss at home.
On the Way to UVA: The 2013 ITA Women’s National Team Indoor Championship, hosted by the University of Virginia at the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, VA is schedule to begin February 8th and continue through the 11th. UCLA, Duke, USC, Georgia, Cal, North Carolina, Miami (FL), Texas, Alabama, Northwestern, Baylor, Michigan, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and Virginia make-up the field of 16 teams.
ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship Field
2. UCLA
3. Duke
4. USC
6. Georgia
7. California, Berkeley
8. North Carolina
9. Alabama
10. Miami
11. Texas
12. Virginia
13. Texas A&M
14. Northwestern
15. Baylor
16. Michigan
17. Nebraska
21. Vanderbilt
Coming Up Next: The 2013 ITA Team Rankings continue for the men next Tuesday, February 5th; the women will not have any rankings released next week as they compete in the 2013 ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championship, hosted by the University of Virginia at the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, VA. Singles and doubles rankings will be published every other week, beginning Feb. 12th. Complete ITA College Tennis Rankings can be found at by clicking here.
Click for: ITA Rankings | KickOff MVP | ATP | WTA
