For a second consecutive week, IU men’s tennis caught the attention of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and was slotted at No. 37 on Tuesday in the latest NCAA team rankings.
Last week the Hoosiers were at No. 45 in the top-50 rankings, but moved up eight spots after beating then-No. 32 Washington on the road by a score of 4-3. The win in Seattle bumped IU’s season record to 8-4.
In Sunday’s matchup against Washington, IU won the doubles point in addition to winning singles matches at positions two, four and six. Sophomore Antonio Cembellin won his singles match at position two in thrilling fashion. After going down a set to Washington’s Mitch Stewart, Cembellin fought back to win his match 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Last week, Cembellin was ranked No. 125 in the NCAA singles rankings. Updated singles rankings are released next Tuesday.
IU’s upcoming opponent, Cornell, also climbed the new rankings and moved from No. 24 to No. 18. The Hoosiers will play the Big Red at the IU Tennis Center on Friday before IU is host to rival Purdue on Sunday.
Juan Alvarado
