Bulldog Women?s Tennis Caps Record Year Ranked No. 32
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Putting the finishing touches on what was a record year, the Mississippi State women’s tennis program finished the 2014-15 season ranked 32nd in the final ITA National Rankings, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced Tuesday.
The No. 32 marks MSU’s best finish in the poll since 2005, when State capped the season at No. 30. The Bulldogs, who earned a season-high ranking of No. 27, finished off the season reaching the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2005 and earned their first win in the event since 2001, defeating No. 30 Houston, 4-2.
State capped the year with 16 wins, the most overall wins since 1986, which also places as third most in school history. Of those wins came the school’s highest-ranked win in history, a defeat of sixth-ranked Alabama in Starkville on March 15. State also registered its highest number of conference wins in 10 seasons. The Bulldogs finished off the SEC season by reaching the quarterfinals of the SEC Championship for the first time since 2005.
Individually, State saw impressive contributions across the board, led by standout newcomer Jasmine Lee. In her first season as a Bulldog, Lee earned All-SEC First Team status and the honor of ITA Southern Region Player to Watch. Lee’s year culminated in a bid to the NCAA Singles Championship.
“This was a bit of a breakthrough year for us. We had been making progress and closing the gap on the top ranked teams the past few years,” MSU coach Daryl Greenan said. “We had so many great matches against the best teams in the country and we were able to come away with some big wins this spring. Our girls competed hard every weekend and after what we accomplished this year I feel like we will be ready take it to the next level next season. I think our returners and new players are all very excited about raising the bar even higher moving forward.”
Vanderbilt claimed the top spot in the final rankings after capturing the 2015 NCAA Team Championship. Nine schools from the SEC, including the Bulldogs, finished the year in the top 35 of the ITA National Rankings.
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