Men's Tennis Ranked No. 23 in ITA Preseason Poll
1/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 7, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The men's tennis team begins its 2009 season at No. 23 on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Division I Preseason Top 25 list. In addition, four individuals were recognized on the singles and doubles preseason rankings.
"We're happy to be included among the top 25 teams in the nation, but obviously we're more concerned with how we end up in May," said head coach Billy Pate. "Our guys have set lofty goals and are confident they can achieve special milestones this spring. We have a veteran team mixed with some talented young guys so they're anxious to get the year started."
The Crimson Tide joins five other Southeastern Conference schools in the rankings including No. 3 Georgia, No. 8 Tennessee, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 10 Florida and No. 19 LSU. Alabama finished its fall season with a total of 64 singles victories and 26 doubles wins.
On the national level, senior Mathieu Thibaudeau came in at No. 69 on the singles ledger followed by freshman John Lewis at No. 106 and senior Billy Mertz at No. 115. In doubles, Thibaudeau placed No. 48 with senior partner Dan Buikema.
The Tide also garnered rankings on the southeast regional poll with Thibaudeau beginning the season at No. 14 on the singles ledger while also placing No. 11 on the doubles list with Buikema.
Alabama opens its 2009 season this weekend when it travels to take on opponents from No. 2 Texas, No. 16 Michigan and No. 58 Georgia Tech at the Key Biscayne Invitational. The Tide's first home event of the spring will take place on Saturday, Jan. 24 when it hosts a double header against Troy at 10:00 a.m. (CST) and Furman at 3:00 p.m. (CST).
