INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Indianapolis and Drury University women’s tennis teams have been selected to win the East and West Divisions, respectively, for the upcoming 2015 Great Lakes Valley Conference season, it was announced by the conference office Tuesday.
The first-ever GLVC Women’s Tennis Preseason Poll was voted on by the league coaches and ranks the top-seven teams in each of the conference’s two divisions as 14 of the 16 members schools sponsor the sport.
Drury (20-5, 6-0 GLVC in 2013-14) is the unanimous selection to win the West Division, garnering all 13 possible votes as conference policy prohibits coaches from casting a vote for their own team. The Lady Panthers amassed 91 points to take the top spot, a year after winning their second straight GLVC Championship and seventh in the past nine years. Drury earned the 2014 conference crown with a 5-4 victory over Lewis University.
Indianapolis (11-7, 5-1 GLVC in 2013-14) just edged out Lewis for the top spot in the East Division as the Greyhounds scored 85 points in the voting, including eight of the 14 first-place votes. The Flyers earned the other six first-place markers and rank a close second behind the Hounds with 83 points. UIndy fell to the University of Missouri-St. Louis in the third-place match at last year’s GLVC Championship.
Bellarmine University tallied 59 points to rank third in the East Division, just ahead of McKendree University in fourth with 56 points. The University of Southern Indiana is fifth in the preseason poll with 47 points, followed by Saint Joseph’s College (33) and the University of Illinois Springfield (24) in seventh and eighth, respectively.
In the West Division, UMSL earned Drury’s first-place vote and ranks second in the preseason rankings with 72 points. Rockhurst University followed in third with 65 points, while Maryville University is fourth with 50 points. William Jewell College (41), Quincy University (35) and Truman State University (29) rounded out the seven-team field from the West.
The 2015 GLVC women’s tennis season officially opens Friday, Jan. 30 when Maryville travels to Division I Chicago State. Truman State will face Drake and Nebraska-Omaha on Jan. 31, while Indianapolis, Saint Joseph’s and Southern Indiana all open the spring slate on Feb. 1. Drury steps on to the court on Feb. 6, followed by Bellarmine and Rockhurst with their respective spring openers on Feb. 7. Elsewhere in the league, McKendree and William Jewell open on Feb. 13, UMSL and Quincy both begin on Feb. 15, Lewis competes on Feb. 16, and Illinois Springfield will look to take its first point of the spring on Feb. 20.
The complete 2015 GLVC Women’s Tennis Preseason Poll follows:
|
Rank |
East Division (1st) |
Points |
|
Rank |
West Division (1st ) |
Points |
|
1. |
Indianapolis (8) |
85 |
|
1. |
DRURY (13) |
91 |
|
2. |
Lewis (6) |
83 |
|
2. |
Missouri-St. Louis (1) |
72 |
|
3. |
Bellarmine |
59 |
|
3. |
Rockhurst |
65 |
|
4. |
McKendree |
56 |
|
4. |
Maryville |
50 |
|
5. |
Southern Indiana |
47 |
|
5. |
William Jewell |
41 |
|
6. |
Saint Joseph’s |
33 |
|
6. |
Quincy |
35 |
|
7. |
Illinois Springfield |
24 |
|
7. |
Truman State |
29 |