SAU tennis ranked No. 21 in ITA DII Preseason Top 25

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its NCAA Division II Top 25 rankings in advance of the 2023 spring season commencing during the first weekend of February. Among the national rankings is fifth-year head coach Greg Owen's Southern Arkansas Muleriders which start the team championship season tied with Anderson University of the South Atlantic Conference for the No. 21 spot in the country. SAU is the fourth-highest ranked team out of the Central Region behind No. 14 Ouachita, No. 15 Northwest Missouri State and No. 16 Washburn.

The ranking is the highest for the program in its young NCAA history and this year's selection to the preseason top 25 marks the fourth-consecutive year that the Muleriders have landed inside the first ranking of the spring season. SAU was first ranked in the preseason poll in 2020 when Owen's second team appeared at No. 25 following a run to the national tournament the spring prior. The 2021 team was also ranked No. 25 to start the season and last year's squad begin its run at No. 22 nationally. Last season, SAU reached as high as a program-best No. 8 in the country in the ITA DII Top 25.

Of the Muleriders' 24 matches this season, Owen's squad will square off against seven that are ranked or receiving votes in the preseason top 25. Southern Arkansas meets (RV) West Alabama on Sunday, February 19 in the home opener and battles (RV) Midwestern State on February 24 in Wichita Falls, Texas. SAU's spring break won't be much of one as a pair of preseason top 10 teams await on back-to-back days in Pensacola, Florida: No. 8 West Florida on March 20 and No. 2 Columbus State on March 21.

SAU will meet its MIAA-GAC foes beginning with the No. 14 Tigers on March 28 in Magnolia. On March 31, the Muleriders meet NWMSU in Maryville and will close out the regular season with a Senior Day matchup against the No. 16 Ichabods in Magnolia.

Despite the NJCAA preseason national rankings not being released until the first week of February, the Muleriders will face two junior college powers that finished the 2022 spring ranked in the top five in the NJCAA. SAU plays host to Tyler Junior College, which ranked No. 3 in the final NJCAA poll of '22, on March 1 and will welcome in Collin College on March 17. CC wrapped up last spring ranked No. 5 in NJCAA.

Last season, the Muleriders knocked off Division I UT-Arlington 4-3 on February 13 for SAU's first win over an NCAA Division I program. This season, Southern Arkansas will have a shot to knock off two Division I programs as a pair of matchups await the Muleriders on March 10 in Dallas, Texas. SAU meets defending American Athletic Conference Champion Southern Methodist at 9 a.m. and will battle the Ivy League's Cornell at noon. The Big Red posted a 17-8 record last spring.

Southern Arkansas went 20-6 overall, posted an unbeaten mark of 7-0 at home, defeated ten nationally-ranked opponents, finished as runner-up in both the MIAA-GAC South Division and MIAA-GAC Tournament Championship. The Muleriders knocked off Northwest Missouri State to advance to the NCAA DII National Championship Round of 16 for the second time in four years.

All six singles players and all three doubles teams earned All-MIAA/GAC recognition last fall of which three returned for the 2022-23 campaign.

This past fall, the Muleriders put together a solid showing at the GAC Individual Championships. Of the individual title winners, freshman Adrian Gheorge won at Flight 4, Gheorge and teammate Melvin Vix won at Flight 2 doubles and grad student and one of Owen's top returners in Sander Jans claimed the win at Flight 1 singles. SAU totaled 14 singles wins and six doubles victories at the championships.

At the conclusion of the fall campaign, Jans ranked as the No. 8 singles player in the Central Region and fellow all-league performer Ole Valkyser ranked No. 14.

The Muleriders open their season on February 4 against Delta State in Arkadelphia.

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