Baylor Tennis Teams to Start Spring in Top 20
12/13/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Dec. 13, 2000
WACO, Texas - Both Baylor tennis teams will begin the spring ranked among the top 20 teams in the country, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings released late Tuesday.
After finishing last spring ranked No. 7 in the nation, the Baylor men's team will start 2001 at No. 15. The Bears lost their top four players from last season's Big 12 title-winning team, but return senior all-American Mark Williams and the 2000 Big 12 Freshman of the Year in Zoltan Papp. The No. 15 ranking is the team's lowest since February 1999, when they were ranked No. 19. The Bears have not been out of the top 20 since finishing the 1998 season ranked 26th.
Two Baylor men made their way into the singles rankings. Freshman Reiner Neurohr earned his first singles ranking at No. 91, with senior Mark Williams right behind him at No. 92. In doubles, those two were named the No. 4 team in the nation.
The Baylor women improved one spot on their final spring 2000 ranking, moving up to No. 18. That ranking ties the team's highest ever, the team also ranked No. 18 during three different weeks in March and April of 2000. The women return all six starters from last season, when they won their first 12 matches and finished second in the Big 12.
Three women earned spots in the December ITA rankings. Senior all-American Jahnavi Parekh, who entered the fall at No. 13, drops to No. 18 despite a 10-3 showing. Junior Katja Kovac will begin the spring at No. 35, up from her No. 51 showing in the September rankings. Sophomore Vida Mulec enters the rankings for the second time in her career, coming in at No. 41.
For a complete listing of the rankings, go to www.itatennis.com.
The Baylor men begin the spring Jan. 12-14 at the National Collegiate Tennis Classic in The Woodlands, Texas. The women start the spring at home, hosting Louisiana-Monroe at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 27.
