Oracle/ITA Tennis Preseason Rankings Released
9/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
MEN'S RANKINGS | WOMEN'S RANKINGS | RIVIERA/ITA ALL-AMERICAN SELECTIONS
TEMPE, Ariz. " The Oracle/ITA preseason rankings were released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association this Tuesday afternoon, and the Pepperdine men's and women's tennis programs earned a multitude of honors, highlighted by Luisa Stefani ranking #2 in singles.
On the women's side, four singles, two doubles partnerships and one freshman earned spots in the respective rankings. For the men, one single and two doubles pairings received the accolades.
Sophomore Luisa Stefani, after going to the NCAA Singles Tournament semifinals last season, ranked #2 in the singles rankings and #6 alongside senior partner Apichaya Runglerdkriangkrai in the doubles rankings. Junior transfer Mayar Sherif Ahmed ranked 49th, junior Laura Gulbe ranked 98th and sophomore Dzina Milovanovic ranked 123rd. Ahmed and senior partner Christine Maddox also are tied 19th in doubles and freshman Ashley Lahey ranked 5th in the Freshman/Newcomer category.
In the men's rankings, senior Guilherme Hadlich earned the #117 ranking in singles and he and sophomore partner Gabriel Sidney ranked #18 in the double categories. Also in doubles preseason polls, junior partnership Pedro Iamachkine and Lautaro Pane will begin the fall campaign ranked 59th.
Last season, Stefani went 40-6 overall with a 22-22 dual record from the number one singles position. She earned ITA All-American status and was named ITA National Rookie of the Year after posting a 26-5 record against nationally ranked opponents. She and Runglerdkriangkrai posted a 23-6 overall record, including a 16-4 record in dual matches and a 7-4 record against nationally ranked opposition.
Ahmed played for Fresno State during the 2015-16 campaign, earning All-American doubles honors after reaching the quarterfinals of the 2016 NCAA Doubles Championships with her sister Rana. She also earned Mountain West Player of the Year honors while going 30-12 overall in singles and 26-10 in doubles.
Gulbe was a mainstay in the number two singles position for the Waves in 2016. She went 26-8 overall in singles with four wins against nationally ranked opponents and an 18-2 record from the number two slot. In doubles with Milovanovic, the pair posted a 15-13 overall record, including an 8-6 record in dual matches. As a single, Milovanovic went 26-6 overall with an 18-4 outing in dual play. She went 11-1 in the number three position and posted two wins against nationally ranked opponents.
This will be the first season Ahmed and Maddox will play alongside each other. Last year, Maddox reached the round of 16 in the NCAA Doubles Championships with senior partner Matea Cutura. The team tallied a 21-7 overall record and a 13-3 record in dual matches. Maddox and Cutura went 7-6 against nationally ranked opponents and tabbed a perfect 11-0 record from the number two position in dual play.
Lastly, Lahey also ranks as a freshman. In her first week as a Wave, she went and competed as an individual at the U.S. Open Juniors tournament in Flushing, N.Y., where she reached the round of 16 after defeating her first three opponents in the opening rounds.
For the men, Hadlich was instrumental to the Waves success from the number one singles position. He earned West Coast Conference first team accolades as a single and posted a 15-9 overall record, including a 9-7 output from the number one position in dual matches.
Both doubles teams, Hadlich and Sidney and Iamachkine and Pane, earned All-WCC honorable mention accolades last season. Hadlich and Sidney kicked off their partnership in the fall at the Oracle/ITA Masters, besting the then-ranked #1 and #28 doubles pairs. Throughout the season, the duo posted an 11-9 overall record including two wins in dual matches.
Pane and Iamachkine were very successful as a pairing, having posted a 21-9 overall record, including a 9-6 record in dual matches and a near-perfect 7-1 record from the number two doubles position.
The Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships draws were also released this Tuesday afternoon. Stefani earned a spot in the main draw of singles and doubles along with Runglerdkriangkrai. Ahmed and Maddox will be in the alternate listings and will also have a chance to earn a spot while playing in the qualifying doubles rounds. Ahmed will compete in the qualifying rounds as a single as well.
Gulbe, Milovanovic and Lahey will all also play in the pre-qualifying singles rounds and Runglerdkriangkrai will be an alternate for the pre-qualifying rounds.
Follow the Waves on Facebook and Twitter, @WavesTennis and @PeppWaves, for immediate updates and information on the upcoming 2016-17 season.
