PIKEVILLE, Ky. – It's really difficult to understand what it means when a team is ranked in a preseason poll. By definition, it hasn't played a contest yet.
It's even more interesting when you're the University of Pikeville, and you get votes in men's tennis.
Which you haven't played in
four years.
But that's the case for Coach
Tim Alderman's Bears, who got four votes in the preseason poll and was one of only three Mid-South Conference teams mentioned in the preseason Top 25.
It's not the first time the men's tennis program was nationally rated. In 2002, John Kitchen coached the Bears to an appearance in the national semifinals, ending a stretch of three straight trips to the NAIA national tournament.
But that was a long time ago in college athletics, and the fact that a newly-restarted program is getting votes speaks volumes about the recruiting class Alderman has landed.
“We've worked very hard since getting hired, and we're pleased the raters have noticed what we're doing. It gives us a great launching point,” he said. “But we still have a lot of work to do. We have to go out and earn it now.”
Fresno-Pacific (Calif.) got all 10 first-place votes to land atop the poll, followed by Embry-Riddle (Fla.), Oklahoma Christian and Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.) and Azusa Pacific (Calif.) tied for fourth. They are followed in the Top 10 by three California teams – Westmont, Point Loma Nazarene and Vanguard – Xavier (La.) and Shorter (Ga.).
Lindsey Wilson is the first MSC team at No. 13, with Campbellsville following at No. 23.
UPIKE is one of four teams to get four votes in the poll, tying them for 33
rd.
The season will open with quite a challenge for the Bears, who visit NCAA Div. I Morehead State University on Saturday.
The first regular-season poll will be released Feb. 21.
|
RANK |
PVS* |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
2011 RECORD |
TOTAL POINTS |
|
1 |
1 |
Fresno Pacific (Calif.) (10) |
25-2 |
250 |
|
2 |
2 |
Embry-Riddle (Fla.) |
17-7 |
241 |
|
3 |
4 |
Oklahoma Christian |
NA |
226 |
|
4 |
3 |
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) |
25-4 |
224 |
|
4 |
5 |
Azusa Pacific (Calif.) |
16-7 |
224 |
|
6 |
6 |
Westmont (Calif.) |
13-6 |
212 |
|
7 |
7 |
Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) |
16-3 |
204 |
|
8 |
9 |
Vanguard (Calif.) |
9-14 |
190 |
|
9 |
8 |
Xavier (La.) |
NA |
189 |
|
10 |
11 |
Shorter (Ga.) |
13-5 |
176 |
|
11 |
12 |
Concordia (Calif.) |
9-14 |
172 |
|
12 |
15 |
William Carey (Miss.) |
13-10 |
156 |
|
13 |
14 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
15-6 |
154 |
|
14 |
16 |
Aquinas (Mich.) |
25-4 |
141 |
|
15 |
17 |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
14-3 |
134 |
|
16 |
24 |
Bethany (Kan.) |
21-4 |
125 |
|
17 |
RV |
Lee (Tenn.) |
4-7 |
113 |
|
18 |
25 |
Webber International (Fla.) |
13-6 |
108 |
|
19 |
19 |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
NA |
103 |
|
20 |
22 |
SCAD Savannah (Ga.) |
7-4 |
86 |
|
21 |
21 |
Tennessee Wesleyan |
NA |
74 |
|
22 |
NR |
Belhaven (Miss.) |
13-3 |
71 |
|
23 |
RV |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
14-5 |
70 |
|
24 |
23 |
Martin Methodist (Tenn.) |
NA |
48 |
|
25 |
NR |
Spring Arbor (Mich.) |
11-0 |
44 |
|
25 |
NR |
Missouri Valley |
11-6 |
44 |
*Ranking comes from last season's final poll.
Others receiving votes: Northwestern Ohio 42; Biola (Calif.) 35; Northwood (Fla.) 29; Cumberland (Tenn.) 26; McPherson (Kan.) 22; Warner (Fla.) 7; Davenport (Mich.) 7; Oklahoma Baptist 4; Emmanuel (Ga.) 4;
PIKEVILLE (Ky.) 4; Graceland (Iowa) 4; Indiana Southeast 3; Hope International (Calif.) 1; Taylor (Ind.) 1; Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) 1.
-UPIKE-
