Jan. 8, 2002

MANHATTAN, Kan. - The Kansas State tennis team is ranked No. 52 in the 2002 preseason Collegiate Tennis Rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

The Wildcats, who finished 12-10 last season and tied the school record for most conference wins in a season with seven, begin the 2002 season three spots above where they finished in the final 2001 team poll. The 'Cats were No. 55 in the ITA national poll a year ago and were ranked No. 43 in last season's preseason tennis rankings.

Kansas State is just one of seven Big 12 Conference teams in the poll. Texas, who ended last year ranked No. 13, is ranked 10th, followed by Oklahoma State at No. 18, Texas A&M at No. 19, Baylor at No. 20, then Kansas State at No. 52, Kansas at No. 54, Nebraska at No. 55 and Missouri at No. 68.

Senior Alena Jecminkova, who was ranked 70th in the preseason rankings, is the only singles player to earn a preseason ranking. She posted a 4-5 record at No. 1 singles this fall. The Olomouc, Czech Republic native's, biggest win this past fall was a 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory over Georgia's Mariel Verban, who was ranked eighth in the preseason rankings and is now 23rd in the fall, at the Georgia Bulldog Fall Tournament on Sept. 28.

The No. 1 doubles team of Jecminkova and freshman Andrea Cooper (Felixstowe, Suffolk England) appear in the doubles ranking at 56th after posting an 8-6 record this fall.

Kansas State, who returns five letterwinners from last year, open their 2002 spring season , Jan. 25-27, in Tucson, Ariz., where it will play No. 51 Arizona, No. 58 New Mexico and No. 53 San Diego.