Feb. 14, 2002

WACO, Texas - Baylor's men's tennis team jumped five spots in the national rankings, checking in at No. 8, in the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

The Bears, currently 4-0 on the season, garnered 536 votes after posting impressive victories over higher ranked opponents, Mississippi State and SMU. The Bears beat then-ranked No. 14 Mississippi State, 4-3, in Waco then traveled to Dallas and posted a 4-3 victory over then-No. 8 SMU.

Head coach Matt Knoll's Bears are the highest ranked men's team in the Big 12. Texas A&M checks in at No. 12 and Texas is No. 16.

Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings (top 20) include:
1. Stanford
2. Illinois
3. Georgia
4. Southern California
5. UCLA
6. Mississippi
7. Notre Dame
8. Baylor University
9. Pepperdine
10. Kentucky
11. Tennessee
12. Texas A&M
13. Mississippi State
14. Duke
15. Minnesota
16. Texas
17. LSU
18. California
19. SMU
20. TCU