Sept. 12, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky men’s tennis seniors Eric Quigley and Alex Musialek, along with junior Anthony Rossi, are ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s preseason singles rankings, the association recently announced.
Quigley headlines the rankings, coming in at No. 3, while Musialek earned his best career ranking at No. 20 and Rossi at No. 95. Quigley and Musialek come in at No. 19 in doubles. Quigley’s top-three ranking is the highest preseason ranking for the Kentucky program since All-American Jesse Witten started the 2002-03 season ranked No. 1 in the nation.
“These rankings are very deserving for all three guys,” UK head coach Dennis Emery said. “I think they illustrate how talented and deep we are at the top of our lineup. We are ready to start the fall slate and work hard to get everyone ready to go this spring.”
Quigley continued to add to a stellar UK career last season when he tied the school record for singles wins in a season with 45. The native of Pewee Valley, Ky., finished the 2011 spring season ranked seventh in the nation in singles, earning All-America status for the second consecutive year. The senior has three All-America honors in his UK career, which makes him only the fifth three-time All-America honoree in school history.
Quigley ended the 2010-11 season with a 45-15 record, including 28 wins against ranked foes and three wins against players ranked in the top five. Quigley, who has a career-high ranking of No. 2, never fell out of the top eight throughout the season. During the fall, Quigley advanced to the finals of the ITA/D’Novo All-American Championships, becoming only the sixth player in school history to compete in the finals of a collegiate tennis grand slam.
Musialek, who was ranked as high as No. 32 in the nation in the spring of 2011, finished the year with his second consecutive top-50 final ranking. The native of Dax, France, was impressive for UK last season, earning a 28-16 record with 13 wins over ranked foes in dual-match play. Musialek also qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship for the second-consecutive season, earning his first win in the tournament with a straight-sets win over then-No. 42 Ed Corrie of Texas in the first round.
The Frenchman was a clutch performer for UK last season, clinching Kentucky’s opening round win in the Southeastern Conference Championship over Auburn and earning the clinching point in UK’s victory over in-state rival Louisville to send the Wildcats to consecutive Sweet 16s.
Rossi has been a key component to Kentucky’s success since joining the team as a freshman in 2009-10. Last year, Rossi posted a 27-10 record, including a 20-6 mark in dual matches and an impressive 10-1 record in SEC play. The junior has a career record of 45-20 in his two years at Kentucky, helping clinch some key victories for UK. Last year, Rossi was a stopper for the Wildcats in the middle of the lineup as the Frenchman never lost consecutive matches once throughout the season. The native of Marseille, France spent five weeks ranked in the ITA rankings last season, peaking at No. 77. This is his first preseason singles ranking.
Kentucky begins its fall season at the Olympia Fields Invitational on Friday. Fall tournaments are individual results only.
