Green Bay and UIC Picked to Claim Horizon League Tennis Titles

INDIANAPOLIS—Green Bay and UIC were picked to claim the men’s and women’s Horizon League tennis titles, respectively, in voting of the League’s coaches.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team in the poll.

Green Bay, which captured its first regular season Horizon League title a year ago, picked up five of the six first-place votes on the men’s side to lead the poll with 35 points. The team had a strong showing this fall at the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional Championships in doubles play with two teams knocking off Big Ten opponents.

UIC has won 17-consecutive women’s tennis Horizon League titles and earned six of the nine first-place votes on the women’s side to top the poll with 62 points. The Flames finished their 2013 campaign with their second-consecutive top-10 ranking in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Midwest Region and 15th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Cleveland State took second in the men’s poll; the Vikings are coming off of their fifth Horizon League Tournament title in program history. The team returns six letterwinners and is head coach Brian Etzkin's 12th year with the program.

Detroit grabbed second on the women’s side, earning two first-place votes. The Titans finished last season with a 12-6 record overall and 5-2 mark in the Horizon League.

Wright State tabbed third on the men’s side, edging out Youngstown State by one point. The Raiders concluded the 2013 season with head coach Sean McCaffrey posting his 100th win as the Wright State head coach and 200th overall as a head coach.

Cleveland State took third on the women’s side followed closely by Youngtown State in fourth who took the final first-place vote. The Vikings return five letterwinners from the 2012-13 season with two players ranking in the top-10 on the all-time singles wins list at Cleveland State.

Last season, the Penguins advanced to the Horizon League Championship match for the second time in school history.

Taking fifth on the men’s side was Valparaiso; the Crusaders welcome four freshmen who comprised the 36th-ranked recruiting class in the nation according to Tennis Recruiting Network.

Milwaukee took fifth for the women as the Panthers return a pair of previous All-League honorees and welcome four promising freshman to the squad.

Valparaiso, UIC and Detroit round out the men’s poll, while Wright State, Oakland, Green Bay and Valparaiso closed the women’s.

The 2014 Horizon League Men’s and Women’s Championships will be held in Ann Arbor, Mich., April 25-27. The top six teams on both sides will reach the tournament, with the top two seeds receiving byes into the semifinals.

2014 Men’s Tennis Preseason Poll
Rank       School (1st)                           Points
1.             Green Bay (5)                        35
2.             Cleveland State (2)              32
3.             Wright State                           23
4.             Youngstown State                22
5.             Valparaiso                             16
6.              UIC                                        12
7.              Detroit                                      7

2014 Women’s Tennis Preseason Poll
Rank       School (1st)                           Points
1.           UIC (6)                                       62
2.           Detroit (2)                                  53
3.           Cleveland State                       49
4.           Youngstown State (1)             47
5.           Milwaukee                                38
6.           Wright State                              29
7.           Oakland                                     22
8.           Green Bay                                 14
9.           Valparaiso                                 9