March 5, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's tennis team made their season debut in the ITA Poll on Tuesday. The Nittany Lions are ranked 72nd. Penn State is 5-7 this spring.
It is Penn State's first appearance in the rankings since being ranked 70th in the March 8, 2011 poll.
"For the players on the team, it shows their hard work is paying off this year," said Head Coach Jeff Zinn. "We've played everyone close this year, we just need to start getting a few of those close singles and doubles matches. We feel that we can play with anybody."
The Nittany Lions are one of 11 Big Ten teams ranked in the Top 75. Ohio State, who defeated Penn State 7-0 this past weekend, is the highest ranked team at eighth.
Penn State has faced eight ranked teams this year, including a 6-1 win over #59 New Mexico.
"As a fairly new coaching staff, we're excited to enter the rankings and look to continue to build this program," said Coach Zinn.
The Nittany Lions travel to Texas this week for a pair of matches. They face #15 Texas at 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday. The match will be televised on the Longhorn Network. Penn State will then take on Rice at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.