Men’s Tennis Earns No. 7 Ranking in ITA Preseason Coaches Poll
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its annual Preseason Coaches Poll on Monday morning, slotting Kentucky at No. 7 to begin the 2025 season. This marks the sixth straight year in which the Wildcats have featured in the preseason Top 25.
The Wildcats are one of nine Southeastern Conference schools to feature in the rankings, led by league newcomer Texas, who earned the No. 1 spot. TCU, Ohio State, Wake Forest, and Virginia round out the top five.
Nine Wildcat opponents earned a preseason ranking, including the Longhorns, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 11 Mississippi State, No. 13 Tennessee, No. 14 Texas A&M, No. 15 South Carolina, No. 19 Alabama, No. 23 Michigan State, and No. 24 Florida. No. 18 Arizona State features in Kentucky’s ITA Kickoff Weekend Regional, marking a tenth potential opponent in the preseason rankings. Auburn, Georgia, LSU, and Memphis all received votes. A full list of the Preseason Top 25 can be found below.
Kentucky finished the 2024 season at No. 5 in the ITA Rankings following a successful season that saw the program’s third straight trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals and second sweep of the Southeastern Conference championships (Regular Season and Tournament). Returning from the 2024 squad are All-SEC players Charlelie Cosnet and Jaden Weekes, alongside All-SEC Freshman Team members Jack Loutit and Eli Stephenson.
The Cats will open their 2025 campaign in at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex in Lexington on Wednesday, January 15, as they host a doubleheader against I-75 rivals Northern Kentucky and Xavier. The season opener against the Norse will commence at 10 a.m. ET, with the subsequent matchup against the Musketeers beginning at 3 p.m. ET. Admission to all home matches at the Boone is free to the public. Live streaming of all home matches will be available at UKAthletics.com.
ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings sponsored by Tennis-Point – January 6, 2025
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes) |
| 1 | Texas (8) |
| 2 | TCU (5) |
| 3 | Ohio State |
| 4 | Wake Forest |
| 5 | Virginia |
| 6 | Arizona |
| 7 | Kentucky |
| 8 | Columbia |
| 9 | Florida State |
| 10 | Oklahoma |
| 11 | Mississippi State |
| 12 | Duke |
| 13 | Tennessee |
| 14 | Texas A&M |
| 15 | South Carolina |
| 16 | San Diego |
| 17 | Stanford |
| 18 | Arizona State |
| 19 | Alabama |
| 20 | UCLA |
| 21 | Harvard |
| 22 | NC State |
| 23 | Michigan State |
| 24 | Florida |
| 25 | Michigan |
Received Votes (Alphabetical): Auburn, Baylor, California, Georgia, Illinois, LSU, Memphis, Pepperdine, Princeton, USC
