COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M women's tennis team will enter the 2016 season ranked No. 10 in the nation, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced today. This is the third consecutive year the Aggies begin the year ranked in the top 10.
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Mark Weaver, in his first season as head coach of the Aggies after being second in command the previous eight years, and first-year associate head coach Patrick Sullivan return all seven players from last year's team that went 17-6 and was No. 10 in the final rankings after reaching the NCAA Championship round of 16. In addition, highly touted freshman Domenica Gonzalez of Ecuador bolsters the Aggies' veteran squad.
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Junior Saska Gavrilovska, who garnered All-America honors as a sophomore after reaching the round of 16 at the 2015 NCAA Singles Championship, is the highest ranked A&M player in the Oracle/ITA singles rankings as she enters the spring No. 53 after going 8-3 during the fall season. Junior Rachel Pierson, the 2015 ITA Texas Region Player to Watch and a member of the 2015 All-SEC Team, is No. 58 in singles, and Rutuja Bhosale, an All-SEC second team selection in 2015, is No. 106.
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Although Pierson and sophomore Eva Paalma set the school record for the highest final doubles ranking after closing out the 2015 dual match season at No. 15, the duo played only two matches together during the fall season and no Aggies are currently listed in the doubles rankings.
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Texas A&M is one of five schools in the nation to have both its men's and women's teams ranked in the top 10 as the Aggie men's team enters the spring No. 5. Others schools receiving top 10 rankings for both their men's and women's programs are Georgia, North Carolina, USC and Virginia.
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The Southeastern Conference leads the nation with eight women's teams listed in the top 25, including defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Vanderbilt. Florida is No. 3 and Georgia is tied for fourth, and with A&M at No. 10, the SEC is tied with the Pac-12 Conference for most teams in the Top 10 with four.
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The Aggies open spring practice Tuesday, Jan. 13 and open the dual season on Saturday, Jan. 23 as A&M hosts South Alabama, Wichita State and Minnesota in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
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Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M women's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M women's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN or on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Aggie-Womens-Tennis/143874782434654
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2016 Oracle/ITA NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Team Rankings (Jan. 5)
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Rank  School                                                 2015 Final Rank
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For the complete team and individual rankings, go to ITATennis.com
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Mark Weaver, in his first season as head coach of the Aggies after being second in command the previous eight years, and first-year associate head coach Patrick Sullivan return all seven players from last year's team that went 17-6 and was No. 10 in the final rankings after reaching the NCAA Championship round of 16. In addition, highly touted freshman Domenica Gonzalez of Ecuador bolsters the Aggies' veteran squad.
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Junior Saska Gavrilovska, who garnered All-America honors as a sophomore after reaching the round of 16 at the 2015 NCAA Singles Championship, is the highest ranked A&M player in the Oracle/ITA singles rankings as she enters the spring No. 53 after going 8-3 during the fall season. Junior Rachel Pierson, the 2015 ITA Texas Region Player to Watch and a member of the 2015 All-SEC Team, is No. 58 in singles, and Rutuja Bhosale, an All-SEC second team selection in 2015, is No. 106.
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Although Pierson and sophomore Eva Paalma set the school record for the highest final doubles ranking after closing out the 2015 dual match season at No. 15, the duo played only two matches together during the fall season and no Aggies are currently listed in the doubles rankings.
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Texas A&M is one of five schools in the nation to have both its men's and women's teams ranked in the top 10 as the Aggie men's team enters the spring No. 5. Others schools receiving top 10 rankings for both their men's and women's programs are Georgia, North Carolina, USC and Virginia.
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The Southeastern Conference leads the nation with eight women's teams listed in the top 25, including defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Vanderbilt. Florida is No. 3 and Georgia is tied for fourth, and with A&M at No. 10, the SEC is tied with the Pac-12 Conference for most teams in the Top 10 with four.
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The Aggies open spring practice Tuesday, Jan. 13 and open the dual season on Saturday, Jan. 23 as A&M hosts South Alabama, Wichita State and Minnesota in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
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Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M women's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M women's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN or on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Aggie-Womens-Tennis/143874782434654
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2016 Oracle/ITA NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Team Rankings (Jan. 5)
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Rank  School                                                 2015 Final Rank
| 1 | Vanderbilt | 1 |
| 2 | USC | 2 |
| 3 | Florida | 6 |
| T-4 | North Carolina | 4 |
| T-4 | Georgia | 5 |
| 6 | California | 7 |
| 7 | Virginia | 9 |
| 8 | Stanford | 11 |
| 9 | UCLA | 3 |
| 10 | TEXAS A&M | 10 |
| 11 | Baylor | 8 |
| 12 | Oklahoma State | 12 |
| 13 | Miami | 15 |
| 14 | Michigan | 13 |
| 15 | Alabama | 14 |
| 16 | Duke | 19 |
| 17 | Texas Tech | 16 |
| 18 | Ohio State | 21 |
| 19 | Pepperdine | 22 |
| 20 | Clemson | 18 |
| 21 | LSU | 23 |
| 22 | TCU | 17 |
| 23 | Georgia Tech | 20 |
| 24 | Kentucky | 25 |
| 25 | Mississippi | 24 |
For the complete team and individual rankings, go to ITATennis.com