__Tribe moves to no. 42 in Division I Fila/ITA rankings after defeating no. 49 Louisville__
p. The men’s tennis team improved its national ranking to 42nd in the Division I Fila/ITA rankings after shutting out George Washington University March 9 before spring break and defeating no. 49 Louisville University March 11. The Tribe reached its highest ranking in three years after the doubles teams of junior Alex Cojanu and freshman Keziel Juneau, ranked 25th nationally, and sophomore Alex Zuck and freshman Richard Wardell won the doubles point early in the match against George Washington, just before the College swept all of the singles play for a final score of 7-0. This match marked Head Coach Peter Daub’s 200th win of his 14-season career coaching the Tribe. In the next match, against Louisville, the Tribe lost the doubles point but won four of the six match-ups of singles play to pull ahead for a 4-3 win.
p. The College began competition at the prestigious Blue Gray National Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Ala., March 15, playing three teams ranked within the top 50 in the nation. The first opponent the Tribe faced was no. 33 North Carolina State University. The College lost after it gave up the doubles point in a tie-breaker and N.C. State won the first three singles matches. The remaining matches were suspended as N.C. State was already the victor. The Tribe defeated Louisville for the second time in a week, 4-0. The match was suspended after the Tribe won the first four singles matches.
p. The final match, played Sunday against no. 34 Middle Tennessee State University, ended in another win for the Tribe, with play ending at 4-2. Starting with the early lead thanks to the doubles point, the Tribe easily won the first singles play, followed by two other wins to answer Middle Tennessee State’s two-win surge. The lone senior for the College, no. 79 Colin O’Brien, clinched the victory, winning his match and improving his season record to 17-11 in singles play.
p. The Tribe returns to play at the 46th annual Rice Invitational in Houston, Tex., today against Middle Tennessee State. The College will then face off against no. 17 Rice University tomorrow and no. 49 University of Oklahoma Sunday. The Tribe’s record currently stands at 14-7.
