TEMPE, Ariz. --- The Tusculum University men's tennis team is ranked 29th in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II National Team Rankings for the 2018-19 season, the ITA has announced.
The Pioneers finished with a 13-6 overall record and in fourth place in the South Atlantic Conference with a 7-3 league mark. Tusculum was ranked as high as 30th during the regular season, and finishes inside the top 30 for the second straight year after ranking 26th in 2017-18.
Tusculum was one of six SAC schools to finish in the top 50 nationally according to the ITA, joining Wingate (6th), Queens (18th), Lenoir-Rhyne (20th), Anderson (34th) and Newberry (49th) in the rankings. The Pioneers were 4-6 against teams that finished in the top 50, including SAC victories over Queens and Anderson and non-conference wins against 32nd-ranked Bluefield State and 45th-ranked Lee.
The Pioneers were 4-3 in matches decided by a single point, including wins over Young Harris, Lee, Anderson and Queens. Tusculum was not swept in any match this season, and had 7-0 victories over Virginia-Wise, Johnson C. Smith and Carson-Newman.
Barry finished the season as the top-ranked team in the ITA Division II survey after rallying to beat Columbus State 4-3 in a rematch of last year's national championship. USC Aiken, Hawaii Pacific and West Florida comprised the rest of the top five.
The final ITA regional rankings for the 2018-19 season will be released next week.