Jan. 4, 2011

LEXINGTON, Ky. — When University of Kentucky men’s tennis junior Eric Quigley begins the spring portion of the 2010-11 schedule, he will hit the court as the second-ranked player in the country.
 
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its 2011 preseason rankings Tuesday, tabbing Kentucky as the 12th-best team in the country and ranking Quigley as the second-ranked player in the country.
 
“It is an honor,” said Quigley about the ranking. “However, I can’t let myself get satisfied. I have to stay hungry and humble. Right now, I am just focusing on getting my game better and fine tuning it for the spring schedule.”

The ranking for the native of Pewee Valley, Ky., comes after one of the most impressive fall semesters in school history. The junior posted an impressive 18-3 record with wins over several ranked players, including then-No. 1 J.P. Smith of Tennessee. In all, Quigley went 12-1 against players ranked in the top 45 in the fall and improved his overall record at Kentucky to 91-27. Quigley’s 18 wins this fall was more than any other player in the Southeastern Conference and his three losses came against players that are currently ranked No. 3, 4 and 7 in the preseason rankings.

Quigley was not the only Wildcat to claim a spot in the preseason rankings. Fellow sophomore Alex Musialek came in at the No. 39 in the rankings, while senior Alberto Gonzalez is ranked No. 72.

“I think that this team can do some good things this year,” Quigley said. “I know that I am just looking forward to going out there and having some fun with my teammates to see what we can accomplish.”

Kentucky will be in action Jan. 14-17 at the SEC Coaches’ Indoor Championships in Knoxville, Tenn. The dual-match schedule begins on Jan. 23 when UK host Toledo at 10 a.m. ET, Xavier at 3 p.m. ET and Cumberland (Ky.) at 7 p.m. ET.