SKILLMAN, NJ (Feb. 12) – Courtesy of the ITA - A major shakeup in the ITA Women’s Team Rankings occurred following the conclusion of the 2013 ITA DI National Women’s Team Indoor Championship, hosted by the University of Virginia at the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va. By virtue of winning the title, the North Carolina Tar Heels vaulted from No. 8 to No. 1 this week, eclipsing the Florida Gators. It is the first time the Tar Heels have been ranked No. 1 since April 20, 2010, which was also the last time a team from the ACC sat atop the poll. The rest of the Top 10 saw plenty of movement as well, as only No. 9 Alabama remained in the same spot from the previous ranking.
No men's team rankings were released this week as the 2013 ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championship, hosted by the University of Washington at the Nordstrom Tennis Center and the Seattle Tennis Club, is set to begin Friday, February 15.
Updated singles and doubles rankings were also released today. On the women's side, USC's Sabrina Santamaria now claims the top spot in singles, tied with Cal's Zsofi Susanyi, and doubles, with partner Kaitlyn Christian. For the men, Virginia's Alex Domijan is now the top ranked singles player, while the Auburn duo of Daniel Cochrane and Andreas Mies are ranked first in doubles.
Follow the Leader: Following North Carolina is (in order): Florida, UCLA, Duke, Georgia, USC, Stanford, Cal, Alabama, and Northwestern.
Conference Count: Women's Top 25: ACC and SEC – 6; Big Ten and Pac-12 – 4; Big 12 – 3; Big East and Ivy League – 1. Four different conferences placed at least one team in the Top 10, including all four of the Pac-12 squads.
New Additions: One team has cracked the Top 75 for the first time this season, while another has moved back into the Top 25 in this week’s rankings. The Denver Pioneers just snuck into the rankings at No. 74 on the strength of their 4-3 upset over then-No. 64 Wichita State. The Pioneers were able to secure the doubles point and win three singles matches in straight sets to clinch the victory. Meanwhile, the Purdue Boilermakers moved up two spots to No. 24 in the nation. Purdue has a victory over No. 35 Washington State so far this season, while its only setback came against No. 10 Northwestern. The Boilermakers will put their ranking to the test this weekend as they travel to Notre Dame to face the 19th-ranked Fighting Irish.
Singled Out: Below is a look at the Top 10 singles players in the ITA Men's and Women's College Tennis Singles Rankings.
Coming Up Next: The 2013 ITA Team Rankings continue next Tuesday, February 19th, with a new set of men’s and women's rankings. Singles and doubles rankings for both the men and women will be published again on Tuesday, February 26th.
