Women's Tennis Preseason Favorite to Repeat as SEC Champions
Thursday, January 26, 2012 | Women's Tennis
The Southeastern Conference announced on Thursday the women's tennis coaches' preseason poll and Florida was voted to win its third consecutive league title.
The Gators were picked as the overall champion for the third consecutive year and have captured 24 of the 31 league championships.
Last season, the Gators compiled an overall record of 30-1, including an 11-0 mark in the SEC. They won the regular season SEC title, as well as the SEC Tournament title, winning their 17th postseason league championship in the 24 years the conference tournament has been contested.
The Gators also won the 2011 NCAA Championship when then-sophomore Lauren Embree rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the third set to force a tiebreaker. She came from behind in the tiebreak to earn a 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) victory and provided the clinching 4-3 win against top-seeded Stanford.
Florida, which is ranked No. 1 in the ITA National Rankings, was also voted as 2012 Eastern Division Champion with 72 points. Georgia was second (60 points) with Tennessee coming in at third (41 points). The remainder of the East was: 4. Vanderbilt (39 points), 5. South Carolina (26 points) and 6. Kentucky (14 points).
In the West, Alabama was voted as Division Champion with 72 points. Ole Miss was voted second (55 points) with Arkansas a close third (48 points). The remainder of the West was: LSU (37 points), 5. Auburn (26 points) and 6. Mississippi State (14 points).
The preseason poll is voted on by the women's tennis head coach at each institution and is based on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 count in each division. They also vote for the overall champion, with each vote counting as one point.
Florida (1-0) opened its 2012 dual match season on Wednesday, blanking Troy, 7-0. The Gators next play host to UCF on Wed., Feb. 1 beginning at 3 p.m. The first 150 fans will receive a Florida Tennis long-sleeve t-shirt. Admission to all regular-season home matches at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex is free.
The complete tally for the poll is below.
2012 Women's Tennis Coaches' Preseason Poll
Eastern Division-Points
1. Florida- 72
2. Georgia-60
3. Tennessee-41
4. Vanderbilt-39
5. South Carolina-26
6. Kentucky-14
Western Division-Points
1. Alabama-72
2. Ole Miss-55
3. Arkansas-48
4. LSU-37
5. Auburn-26
6. Mississippi State-14
Overall Regular-Season Champion: Florida (11 points - one coach did not vote for overall champion)
