Men's Tennis Ranked No. 11 in Preseason Poll, Set for SEC Indoor Championships
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 | Men's Tennis
The University of Florida men's tennis team, ranked No. 11 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason team rankings, opens its spring season Friday at the SEC Indoor Championships, held at the Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, Ga.
“We have pretty high expectations heading into this spring,” head coach Andy Jackson said. “Even though we didn't have a lot of depth in the fall because of different injury situations, we had some success with our guys who were able to play. Also, our incoming freshmen this spring make a big difference in our expectations.”
UF is one of a nation's-best seven SEC schools in the top 25, trailed by the ACC's five, the Big 12 and Pac-10's four each, two from the Big Ten and one apiece from the Big East, WAC and WCC.
“Even though we are No. 11, our goal is always to win the SEC Championship,” Jackson noted. “Like many other sports in the SEC, if you have a realistic chance to win the SEC, you have a realistic chance to win the NCAA. We hope to be in that group.”
In individual rankings, junior Alexandre Lacroix (Paris, France) enters the season rated No. 7 in singles on the power of a 14-3 fall season, which included a 9-3 record against ranked opponents and an appearance in the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships in November.
Lacroix and senior Antoine Benneteau (Boulogne-Billancourt, France) also appear at No. 10 in the preseason doubles rankings, following a 9-1 mark in the fall that saw the pair capture the Gator Invitational, the ITA Southeastern Regional Championships and advance to the quarterfinals at the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships.
The SEC Indoor Championships, which begin at 8 a.m. on Friday, feature a singles draw of 64 and a doubles draw of 32, and the Gators will have eight players competing. In addition to Benneteau and Lacroix, the event's No. 2 singles seed, two other UF players who finished 2009 in the rankings will suit up – sophomores Carlos Cueto (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) and Joey Burkhardt (St. Augustine, Fla.). In his previous appearance at the SEC Indoors, Cueto advanced to the 2009 semifinals.
The remaining spots will be filled by a foursome of freshmen, three of whom will be seeing their first action in the Orange and Blue. Joining Billy Federhofer (North Miami, Fla.), who posted a 4-4 record in fall play, will be newcomers Sekou Bangoura (Bradenton, Fla.), Nassim Slilam (Paris, France) and Bob Van Overbeek (Boca Raton, Fla.).
In doubles action, the Benneteau/Lacroix tandem holds the No. 3 seed, while the Gators' other pairings will be Cueto/Federhofer, Slilam/Van Overbeek and Bangoura/Burkhardt.
Schedule of Play at SEC Indoor Championships
(Subject to change)
Friday, Jan. 15
8 a.m. – Round of 64 Singles
12:30 p.m. – Round of 32 Singles
3:30 p.m. – Round of 32 Doubles
Saturday, Jan. 16
9 a.m. – Round of 32 Singles Consolation
Noon – Round of 16 Singles
2 p.m. – Round of 16 Doubles
3:30 p.m. – Doubles Quarterfinals
Sunday, Jan. 17
9 a.m. – Singles Quarterfinals
10:30 a.m. – Round of 16 Singles Consolation
1 p.m. – Singles Semifinals
3 p.m. – Doubles Semifinals
Monday, Jan. 18
10 a.m. – Singles Final
Noon – Doubles Final
Campbell/ITA Division I Men's Preseason Top 25
1. USC
2. Virginia
3. Ohio State
4. UCLA
5. Tennessee
6. Baylor
7. Georgia
8. Texas
9. Stanford
10. Mississippi
11. Florida
12. Texas A&M
13. Florida State
14. Kentucky
15. Illinois
16. Wake Forest
17. Pepperdine
18. Alabama
19. Duke
20. Louisville
21. Miami (Fla.)
22. Boise State
23. Auburn
24. Arizona
25. Oklahoma State
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