The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Tennis Breaks Into ITA Rankings
3/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
SKILLMAN, N.J. – After defeating its second ranked opponent of the 2016 season, the UAB men’s tennis team earned its first rank coming in at No. 74 in the latest ITA rankings.
“All of the guys’ hard work has really paid off,” head coach Derek Tarr said. “We’ve been knocking on the door for a while with two ranked wins, so we feel like we’ve really earned this.”
The Blazers notched their 11th win last time out as they defeated in-state Sun Belt foe South Alabama at the MT Spring Shootout. The Blazers went 2-1 over the weekend with a road win over then-No. 64 Middle Tennessee. UAB’s lone loss of the tournament came to then-No. 52 Georgia State.
UAB is ranked No. 74 with an overall mark of 11-7, five of the losses coming to ranked opponents.
Eric Komati has been an anchor for the singles lineup as he boasts an 11-3 overall mark. In the latest swing of matches, Mitchell Martell has won four of his last five contests in the No. 1 slot.
In doubles play, Komati and Stepan Vancurik have been a staple on court three with a 9-4 overall record.
This marks the first time UAB has been ranked since the 2014 season, when the Blazers ranked No. 69.
UAB’s other ranked win of the season came in its second match when it took down then-No. 63 UNC Wilmington. The Blazers’ ranked losses include No. 41 Alabama, No. 25 Mississippi State, No. 26 Rice, No. 57 East Tennessee State and No. 52 Georgia State, with all but one coming on the road.
UAB joins a trio of ranked Conference USA teams: No. 26 Rice, No. 50 Old Dominion and No. 64 Middle Tennessee.
Next up, the Blazers head to Mobile to face South Alabama on April 1 before taking on league foe No. 50 Old Dominion on April 2.
