TEMPE, Ariz. --- The Tusculum University women's tennis team is ranked 17th in the first Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II national rankings for the 2020 season, the ITA announced Wednesday.
The Pioneers finished 17-4 last season and won the South Atlantic Conference regular-season championship with a perfect 10-0 league record. Tusculum was ranked 18th in the final ITA Division II rankings last season, after being ranked as high as 16th during the regular season.
Tusculum is scheduled to play four matches against teams ranked in the preseason Top 25 -- Indianapolis (4th), North Georgia (10th), Wingate (11th) and Queens (22nd). Last year, the Pioneers were 4-4 against teams ranked in the ITA Top 50 at match time.
Defending national champion Barry University is the top-ranked team in the ITA preseason top 25, followed by national runner-up Lynn, Columbus State, Indianapolis and Nova Southeastern in the top five.
In the Southeast Region rankings, Tusculum is fifth behind Columbus State, North Georgia, Wingate and Flagler and ahead of Queens, Lenoir-Rhyne, Georgia College, Francis Marion and Anderson.
The next team rankings will be released on Feb. 19, and then weekly starting on March 18. Tusculum will open its spring schedule with an exhibition match at UNC Asheville on Friday, Jan. 24 before squaring off with Indianapolis on Sunday, Feb. 2 in Lexington, Kentucky.
