Jan. 9, 2007

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s tennis team was ranked 11th in the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings, administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released Tuesday.

“We are extremely excited heading into the spring season,” said head coach Mario Rincon. “We feel like we have a great group of players and are looking forward to the season.”

Last season Rincon – the 2006 ACC Coach of the Year – and the Hurricanes, who finished 11th in the final Fila/ITA rankings, enjoyed a 20-5 overall record while earning a share of the ACC regular season title with a 9-2 mark in league matches.

Miami returns four players from last season’s lineup including senior All-American Luigi D’Agord who posted an overall record of 36-5 last season, finishing tied with former UM great Conny Falk for the second-most wins in a single season in school history. He was also named the 2006 ACC Player of the Year.

Along with D’Agord, sophomore All-American Daniel Vallverdu returns a year after seeing an overall record of 17-7 along with an impressive 9-2 mark in league play to earn ACC Freshman of the Year honors.

The Hurricanes will host the UM Spring Invitational, a three-day tournament featuring players from Michigan, Texas and Duke beginning Saturday at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.

Miami opens the 2007 dual season Jan. 21 with a home match against North Florida at 3 p.m.