Friday, December 14, 2007

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Dec. 14, 2007) - Following a history making fall tournament campaign, junior Enrique Olivares (Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela) and senior Sebastian Serrano (Cartagena, Colombia) each earned individual rankings and were also ranked as a doubles team as named by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced Friday.

Olivares garnered a No. 7 ranking after compiling a 5-3 record in the fall. He defeated opponents from No. 36 Vanderbilt, No. 25 Tennessee, No. 59 Louisville, and No. 13 Wake Forest.

Serrano earned a No. 24 ranking compiling an 8-4 record during fall tournament play. He defeated opponents from No. 36 Vanderbilt, No. 59 Louisville, No. 39 Virginia Tech, No. 57 Mississippi State, No. 29 Auburn, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Baylor.

As a duo, Olivares and Serrano were ranked No. 6 in the region. The team earned an 11-3 record making history as they defeated the No. 4 nationally ranked duo from Baylor in the Round of 32 at the Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Championships. They eventually fell in the Round of 16 to the No. 17 nationally ranked doubles team from the Georgia. Olivares and Serrano also advanced to the Quarterfinals of the ITA Mideast Regional Championships falling to the Singh and Shabaz of the University of Virginia.

Olivares and Serrano are the first Bucs to be ranked regionally in singles since Oscar Posada (Valencia, Venezuela) was ranked in 2005. They also become the first doubles team to be ranked since Posada and Juan Crosa in 2006.

The Bucs will open the 2008 season January 18 as they compete in the VCU 4x1 Invitational in Richmond, Va.

Follow all the ETSU men's tennis action this season by visiting www.ETSUBucs.com.