Kansas tennis earns program-best ranking of No. 14 in ITA top-50
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s tennis broke into the top-25 for the first time this season by earning a program-high No. 14 ranking as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Tuesday.
The ranking is the highest by Kansas (5-2) since the ITA began releasing weekly rankings in 2000. Previously, the Jayhawks were ranked as the No. 23 team on Feb. 23, 2016, and prior to the week-by-week rankings, Kansas ended the 1994 season as the No. 7 team in the nation.
“We are excited about the direction the program is going and the movement up in the rankings is a positive step in the right direction,” said head coach Todd Chapman. “While it is a nice reward for the hard work the players have been putting in, it is definitely not something we are focusing on.”
This also marked the first week the Jayhawks have entered the rankings in the 2016-17 season. They are joined by five other Big 12 teams in this week’s top-50, including No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 10 Baylor, No. 15 TCU and No. 47 Texas.
Kansas has three wins, all away matches, over teams in the top-50. They Jayhawks topped No. 16 North Carolina State, 4-3, on Feb. 3 and then traveled to Williamsburg, Va., on Feb. 5 where they earned a 4-2 win over No. 39 William & Mary. Most recently, Kansas downed in-state rival No. 35 Wichita State, 5-2, on Feb. 17.
“We will continue to focus on the process of development and working hard, knowing if we continue to put in the work, the rankings and accolades will take care of themselves,” said Chapman.
Joining Kansas in the poll are this weekend’s opponents, No. 33 UNLV and No. 24 Tennessee. The Jayhawks will travel to Las Vegas, Nev., facing the Rebels at home on Friday, Feb. 24 and the Volunteers, in a neutral site match, on Feb. 25. Both matches are slated for 10 a.m. (CT).
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