The University of Kentucky men?s tennis team captured the No. 10 spot in the pre-season men?s tennis rankings released Tuesday by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The Cats return five letter winners from the 2003 squad that began its season ranked No. 9 and ended the season at the No. 16 slot.

As in 2003, Kentucky boasts four players among the ITA?s top 100 in men?s singles. Two-time All-American junior Jesse Witten, the 2002 NCAA Men?s Singles Runner-Up, comes in at No. 16. Junior Tigran Martirosyan, a Loyola Marymount transfer, earned a No. 58 national ranking after a solid fall season. Junior Evan Austin turned in another productive fall season and is ranked No. 79, while sophomore Nate Emge, a Penn State transfer, enters the ITA rankings at No. 99.

Seventeen of Kentucky?s 23 dual-match opponents appear in the ITA?s top-75 team rankings, including defending NCAA Champion Illinois at No. 1, No. 2 Baylor, defending SEC Regular-Season Champion Florida at No. 3 and 2003 NCAA Runner-Up Vanderbilt at number four.

The Cats head for Athens, Ga. for four days of competition at the SEC Indoors beginning Thursday. Kentucky begins dual-match play on Thursday, Jan. 22 in Lexington against Appalachian State and Morehead State.