On the strength of victories at No. 4 Georgia and No. 23 Tennessee over the weekend, Southeastern Conference Champion Kentucky ascended from No. 5 to No. 2 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) team rankings released Tuesday.
Kentucky?s march to its No. 2 ranking began with a No. 14 season-opening ranking. UK vaulted to No. 3 in February after making the finals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships with victories over Clemson, North Carolina and Duke. Kentucky fell in the final to No. 1 Stanford, who remains at the top spot and hasn?t lost a match since dropping a 4-3 decision to Florida in the 2003 national-title match.
Kentucky dropped to No. 7 after suffering a loss to North Carolina on Feb. 12 in Chapel Hill, but slowly moved toward the top during its present 15-match win streak. The No. 2 ranking is the highest in the history of the program.
Schwenk Earns SEC Player of the Week Selection
UK sophomore Joelle Schwenk was named the Southeastern Conference Women?s Tennis Player of the Week on Tuesday after a pair of sterling performances at Georgia and Tennessee.
Schwenk?s straight-set win over UGA?s Evgenia Subbotina helped Kentucky earn its first win in Athens since 1988. The Coconut Creek, Fla., native teamed with sophomore Kim Coventry for a doubles win at Tennessee before rallying from a one-set deficit to defeat the Lady Vols? Bryce Marable. The win broke a 3-3 tie and clinched not only the Cats? 4-3 victory in Knoxville but also Kentucky?s first Southeastern Conference regular-season championship.
Schwenk is the third Wildcat to earn the conference honor this season. Coventry earned the nod on Jan. 31, and senior Aibika Kalsarieva collected the award on Mar. 14.
Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Rankings ? Apr. 12, 2005
1. Stanford 2. Kentucky 3. Northwestern 4. Southern California 5. Vanderbilt 6. Georgia 7. Florida 8. Georgia Tech 9. Miami (Fla.) 10. UCLA 11. Texas 12. Baylor 13. North Carolina 14. Clemson 15. Tulane 16. Duke 17. Harvard 18. William & Mary 19. TCU 20. Tennessee 21. California 22. Washington 23. South Carolina 24. Arizona State 25. Wake Forest
