ITA
NCAA Division II Preseason Rankings
AIKEN, S.C. - The University of South Carolina Aiken men's
tennis team checked in at No. 17 in the 2010 Intercollegiate Tennis
Association (ITA) preseason NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Rankings.
Playing in one of the strongest regions in all of the country,
USC Aiken is picked 17th in the entire nation, but is
rated seventh in the inaugural ITA Southeast Region rankings. The
Pacers are one of six teams in the Peach Belt Conference ranked in
the top 10 in the Southeast Region in the preseason.
Two-time defending national champion Armstrong Atlantic is
ranked first nationally and in the region.
USC Aiken's men's tennis team concluded the 2009 season ranked a
program-best fifth.
The Pacers had moved into the fifth position just prior to
opening play in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional in
Savannah, Ga. The Pacers' appearance in the NCAA Division II
Tournament marked the program's eighth NCAA Tournament appearance.
USC Aiken, which received a bye into the semifinal round of the
Savannah regional of the NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Tournament,
defeated No. 18 Francis Marion to advance to the regional final
against No. 1 Armstrong Atlantic.
The Pirates were able to claim the regional title, but the
Pacers still concluded the year 19-5 overall. AASU went on to win
its second straight national crown a couple weeks later.
The Pacers as a team won 13 of their final 15 matches in 2009.
The 2010 season for the Pacers for the most part will feature a
new lineup as the program has to replace three players named to the
ITA DII All-America team after the conclusion of the 2009 spring
season. Bruno Seves (Araraquara, Brazil) was tabbed to the team as
a singles player, while Dagoberto Darezzo (San Carlos, Brazil) and
Edward Horne (Kent, England) were selected to the team as a doubles
tandem.
USC Aiken opens its 2010 spring campaign with a home exhibition
against Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College at 4 p.m. on Feb. 5 in
Tifton, Ga. The Pacers open the regular season one day later in
Valdosta, Ga. against fourth-ranked Valdosta State.
USC Aiken does not play its first home match until welcoming
Peach Belt Conference foe Lander to the USC Aiken Tennis Complex at
2:30 p.m. on March 24.
