ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia will begin the 2014 campaign ranked No. 4, according to the year’s first rankings which were released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Thursday night.
The Bulldogs return six members of last year’s SEC championship team, and welcome one incoming freshman in January.
In addition to the team ranking, Georgia has four singles players and two doubles pairs in the newly released rankings.Lauren Herring headlined the Georgia contingent with a No. 4 singles ranking. Herring went 10-3 this fall and advanced the singles semifinals at the Al-American Championships. Also garnering a top-10 ranking was Silvia Garcia who is ranked No. 10. Garcia’s fall campaign was highlighted by a 13-2 record and winning the ITA Southeast Regional singles championship.
Also in the rankings, Maho Kowase is ranked No. 25, while Lilly Kimbell used a stellar fall campaign to grab the No. 33 ranking. Kowase went 12-3 this fall and advanced to the singles semifinals of the ITA Southeast Regionals. Kimbell went 13-2 this fall and advanced through the pre-qualifying draw of the All-American Championships to come within just two wins of making the main draw.
In doubles, Herring and Kowase captured the No. 5 ranking after a 14-3 record throughout the fall and a national semifinals appearance at the ITA National Indoor Championships. Mia King and Lilly Kimbell also were included in the latest rankings at the No. 52 spot. The duo went 8-3 this fall.
Georgia is the only team in the SEC to have two singles players ranked in the top 15 and is also the only school in the conference to have a doubles pair ranked in the top 15.
With the Georgia men’s tennis team, the Bulldogs are one of four schools to have both of its tennis programs ranked in the top 10. The two program’s combined ranking of seven (women ranked No. 4, men ranked No. 3) ties Georgia with UCLA for the highest combined ranking of both programs in the country.
