Men’s and Women’s Tennis Ranked in ITA Top-25 Poll

St. Louis, Mo., November 9, 2010 — Washington University’s men’s and women’s tennis teams will begin the 2011 season ranked in the top-25 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division III Top-25 polls, as announced by the ITA. The men’s team checks in at No. 6, while the women are ranked No. 16.

10th-year head coach Roger Follmer guided the men’s team to the Final Four a year ago and a 20-6 overall record. The Bears, who are ranked No. 1 in the Central Region, made their 11th-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and placed second at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship in 2010.

Senior Issac Stein opens the spring season ranked No. 12 nationally in singles after placing second at the USTA/ITA Central Region Championship, while fellow senior Max Woods is ranked No. 30 after falling in the semifinals at regionals. Four Bears also appear in the ITA Central Region singles rankings; Stein (No. 3), Woods (No. 8), sophomore Adam Putterman (No. 17) and sophomore Gary Parizher (No. 18).

Stein and Woods enter the spring also ranked No. 5 in the Central Region and No. 19 nationally in doubles. The duo went 3-1 in the fall and lost in the round of 16 at regionals. Stein and Woods are 60-12 in doubles in four years as teammates.

Sixth year-year head coach Kelly Stahlhuth led the women’s team to a 14-6 overall mark in 2009-10, and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in her career. The Bears also placed fifth at the UAA Championship.

Washington University opens the season with one singles player and one doubles team ranked regionally. Due to an insufficient number of national team dual results, there were no individual national rankings.

Junior Natalie Tingir is ranked No. 19 regionally in singles after advancing to the round of 32 at the USTA/ITA Central Region Championship in the fall. Tingir posted a 6-3 record in the fall, and is 27-11 in her career in singles.

The team of Tingir and sophomore Kate Klein is the central region’s No. 6 ranked doubles tandem. They combined to post a 6-2 record in the fall, after advancing to the round of 16 at regionals.

The men’s team opens the 2011 season against Division II Drury University on Sunday, Feb. 6, at 1 p.m., in Springfield, Mo., while the women’s team takes on No. 4 ranked University of Chicago on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m., in its spring opener in Belleville, Ill.