NEW ORLEANS - Middle Tennessee's men and Denver's women are the number one seeds heading into the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tennis Championship, set to take place this week, April 16-19, on the campus of the University of North Texas in Denton.
Middle Tennessee, currently ranked 60th nationally, earns the top spot on the men's side after posting a 13-8 overall record and spending much of the regular season listed among the elite teams in the country. The Blue Raiders, the highest ranked Sun Belt team, have been led throughout the season by senior Robert McKenzie, who is ranked 96th nationally and has recorded an 11-1 mark at the number-one singles position. McKenzie, along with partner John Peers, is also ranked 41st in doubles with an 8-1 overall record.
Florida Atlantic and Louisiana-Lafayette close out the top three, while Denver, South Alabama, New Orleans, Troy, and WKU complete the eight-team field. Florida Atlantic has posted a 14-6 overall record this season, thanks in part to the efforts of sophomore Marc Abdelnour. Abdelnour, the Owls top singles player, is currently ranked 120th and owns a 16-2 record in dual matches this season. Louisiana-Lafayette, led by junior Piotr Banas, owns a 13-6 mark on the season.
For the second-straight year, Denver, currently ranked 34th in the nation, headlines the women's side with its 12-4 overall record, including a 5-4 mark against ranked foes. The Pioneers spent all 16 weeks this season among the nation's best, ranking as high as 28th, and picked up impressive wins over the likes of VCU, Colorado, BYU, Long Beach State and UC Irvine. Senior Mallory Voelker has paced the Pioneers this spring, posting a stellar 15-1 record at the number-one position. Voelker, last year's tournament MVP, helped DU to the SBC Championship crown and the second-round of the NCAA Tournament.
FIU, which sits just behind Denver in the national rankings at number-37, is the second-seed, while 47th-ranked South Alabama rounds out the top three seeds. FIU is 15-5 this season and is led by sophomore Liset Brito, who is 67th in the country in singles play and has posted a 17-3 overall record, including 15 wins at the number-one position. South Alabama will enter the event with an 11-3 record under the guidance of Erica Krisan, who has spent much of her time on the number-one court and has registered a 12-2 record in dual matches this season.
The trio is followed by North Texas, Troy, Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Middle Tennessee, New Orleans, ULM, UALR, Florida Atlantic and WKU.
The women's championship will begin on Thursday, as No. 12 Florida Atlantic and No. 13 WKU will battle in the first match at 12 p.m. at the Waranch Tennis Complex. The men's teams will begin play on Friday morning, as No. 2 Florida Atlantic and No. 7 Troy go head-to-head at the Goldfield Tennis Center.
Men's Team Seeds
1. Middle Tennessee
2. Florida Atlantic
3. Louisiana-Lafayette
4. Denver
5. South Alabama
6. New Orleans
7. Troy
8. WKU
Women's Team Seeds
1. Denver
2. FIU
3. South Alabama
4. North Texas
5. Troy
6. Arkansas State
7. Louisiana-Lafayette
8. Middle Tennessee
9. New Orleans
10. ULM
11. UALR
12. Florida Atlantic
13. WKU
|
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2009 |
|
WOMEN'S MATCHES |
|
12:00 PM |
M1 |
No. 12 Florida Atlantic vs No. 13 WKU |
|
|
|
|
|
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2009 |
|
WOMEN'S MATCHES |
|
8:00 AM |
M2 |
No. 8 Middle Tennessee vs No. 9 New Orleans |
|
8:00 AM |
M3 |
No. 7 Louisiana-Lafayette vs No. 10 ULM |
|
8:00 AM |
M4 |
No. 6 Arkansas State vs No. 11 UALR |
|
11:30 AM |
M5 |
No. 5 Troy vs M1 Winner |
|
3:00 PM |
M6 |
No. 3 South Alabama vs M4 Winner |
|
6:30 PM |
M7 |
No. 1 Denver vs M2 Winner |
|
6:30 PM |
M8 |
No. 2 FIU vs M3 Winner |
|
6:30 PM |
M9 |
No. 4 North Texas vs M5 Winner |
|
|
|
|
|
MEN'S MATCHES |
|
|
11:30 AM |
M1 |
No. 2 Florida Atlantic vs No. 7 Troy |
|
11:30 AM |
M2 |
No. 3 Louisiana-Lafayette vs No. 6 New Orleans |
|
3:00 PM |
M3 |
No. 1 Middle Tennessee vs No. 8 WKU |
|
3:00 PM |
M4 |
No. 4 Denver vs No. 5 South Alabama |
