Friday, February 13, 2004

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Feb. 13, 2004) - The Southern Conference released the men's tennis preseason poll as selected by the conference's head coaches yesterday. East Tennessee State University, the conference runner-up in 2003, garnered three first-place votes and 92 total votes. The Bucs return five players from last season's squad including senior Alejandro Salazar (Arequipa, Peru) a first-team All-Conference selection last season. The Bucs placed second to the College of Charleston, which was selected as the favorite to win the Championship in 2004. The Cougars notched seven out of a possible 11 first-place votes. Furman, Elon, Appalachian State, and Georgia Southern rounded out the top half of the preseason poll. Conference play begins for the Buccaneers as they host Elon on March 6. The SoCon Men's Tennis Championships are set to take place from April 22-25 in Charleston, SC. 2004 SoCon Preseason Men's Tennis Poll 1. College of Charleston (7) 96 2. East Tennessee State (3) 92 3. Furman (1) 83 4. Elon 63 5. Appalachian State 59 6. Georgia Southern 52 7. Davidson 44 8. Chattanooga 43 9. Wofford 36 10. The Citadel 24 11. UNC Greensboro 13