Jan. 4, 2011
WACO, Texas - Baylor's men's tennis team will kick off the 2011 season ranked No. 7 as the preseason Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings were unveiled on Tuesday. The team was also ranked seventh at the end of last season when the Bears reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship.
Five players return from last season's 24-7 squad, while head coach Matt Knoll in his 15th-season at Baylor also added two transfers and a pair of freshmen to his roster.
One of those transfers, John Peers, a senior from Melbourne, Australia, is the lone Baylor singles player ranked by the ITA at No. 22. After posting a 10-4 mark in fall play and a 3-4 record against ranked opponents, Peers is poised to help the Bears at the top of their singles lineup.
Along with his listing in the singles rankings, Peers and doubles partner Roberto Maytin (Valencia, Venezuela) earned the No. 4 spot in the ITA's ranking of the top 60 doubles tandems. In fall play the duo was 10-2, beating two of three ranked foes they faced. Early in the fall season, Peers and Maytin captured the doubles title at the HEB Baylor Men's Invitational.
In the upcoming season, the Bears will play matches against seven of the other nine teams ranked among the top 10: Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, Stanford, Florida and Texas A&M. In addition, 15 of Baylor's 22 confirmed matches are against ranked opponents.
ITA Team Rankings - Top 10
1. Virginia
2. USC
3. Tennessee
4. Ohio State
5. Texas
6. UCLA
7. Baylor
8. Stanford
9. Florida
10. Texas A&M
For a full list of rankings, visit www.itatennis.com.
The Bears open the season Jan. 14-17 when selected players will compete in the Sherwood Invitational in Los Angeles, Calif. The squad's first dual match will be Jan. 20 when the Bears face Louisiana-Lafayette for a 3 p.m. match in Waco.
Baylor was one of only three schools in the country to have both their men's and women's tennis programs ranked in the top 10 with the women's team receiving a ranking of No. 3.
Only players who participated in fall season tournaments are eligible for the initial singles and doubles rankings.
Baylor's Team Preseason Rank Since 2000
2000 - No. 7
2001 - No. 15
2002 - No. 16
2003 - No. 3
2004 - No. 2
2005 - No. 1
2006 - No. 7
2007 - No. 2
2008 - No. 4
2009 - No. 7
2010 - No. 6
2011 - No. 7
