Greensboro, N.C. — Guilford College’s men’s tennis team was ranked fifth in the preseason Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Coaches’ Poll. The Quakers’ women’s tennis team earned the number-six spot in the ODAC’s women’s preseason poll. The league’s head coaches selected the polls.
First-year head coach Eddie Luck’s Quakers received 57 points in the men’s poll. Washington and Lee University, the defending ODAC champion, earned all 10 first-place votes and the top spot in the rankings. Guilford returns all eight letter winners this spring from last year’s 10-7 team. Seniors Jose Ortiz (Carrboro, N.C./Chapel Hill), Guilford’s number-one singles player in 2007, and Caleb Kimbrough (Carrboro, N.C./Chapel Hill), the 2005 ODAC champion at third singles, are two of Guilford’s key returners. The pair formed the Quakers’ top doubles tandem in 2007. Seniors Ryo Kawai (Suginami-ku, Tokyo/Kosei Gakuen) and Mike Muir (Alexandria, Va./Mt. Vernon), plus three strong sophomores add depth. Guilford is 1-2 on the year.
Guilford’s women’s tennis team, under the direction of seventh-year mentor Jenn Anderson ’96, returns six letter winners from last year’s 13-6 club. The Quakers earned 61 votes in the preseason poll, which Washington and Lee topped with 121 points and all 11 first-place votes. Senior captain Krystal Parrish (Greensboro, N.C./Grimsley) is back after going 11-7 in dual matches as a junior. Senior Caitlin Mayton (Lewiston, Idaho/Lewiston), last season’s most valuable player, returns after leading the team in singles wins as a junior.
The Quakers’ women (2-0) opened their spring schedule last Saturday with a win against Salem College. They will host Peace College March 12. Both squads host Randolph College March 15 in their league openers.
2008 ODAC Men’s Tennis Preseason Poll
Place Team Points (first-place votes)
1. Washington and Lee 100 (10)
2. Hampden-Sydney 85
3. Roanoke 78
4. Bridgewater 65
5. Guilford 57
6. Virginia Wesleyan 51
7. Emory & Henry 48
8. Lynchburg 29
9. Randolph-Macon 27
10. Randolph 10
2008 ODAC Women’s Tennis Preseason Poll
Place Team Points (first-place votes)
1. Washington and Lee 121 (11)
2. Virginia Wesleyan 103
3. Hollins 102
4. Bridgewater 89
5. Roanoke 72
6. Guilford 61
7. Emory & Henry 52
8. Sweet Briar 45
9. Randolph-Macon 39
10. Lynchburg 29
11. Randolph 13