UCLA, USC Maintain Top ITA Division I National Team Rankings

SKILLMAN, NJ (Jan. 28) - Neither the UCLA women or USC men surrendered a single match during the seventh annual ITA Kick-Off Weekend, sweeping the competition to maintain their top spots in the ITA Division I National Team Rankings.

On the women's side, the Top 4 remains intact as No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 Florida, No. 3 North Carolina and No. 4 Duke each posted two shutouts during ITA Kick-Off Weekend group-play. The big mover in the Top 10 continues to be No. 6 Baylor, which recorded its second upset of the No. 5 ranked team in as many weeks.

This week, the Bears did not compete in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, but instead took the opportunity to schedule a non-conference match with No. 5 Virginia. Baylor traveled to Charlottesville and beat the Cavaliers 6-1. Virginia though was admittedly short-handed; several players were out with the flu and Virginia was forced to forfeit two singles matches and one doubles match. The result dropped Virginia from No. 5 to No. 10 and moved Baylor three spots up from No. 9 to No. 6.

The ITA Kick-Off Weekend provided a notable rankings boost for several teams. TCU's upsets of No. 11 Texas A&M and No. 35 Houston helped the Horned Frogs move from No. 41 to No. 20 in the biggest rise of the week. Texas A&M slipped six spots to No. 17, while Houston fell from No. 36 to No. 51. Kentucky made a similar jump as TCU by leaping eighteen spots from No. 44 to No. 26 after upsetting No. 17 Northwestern and No. 21 Rice. Northwestern is now ranked No. 22 while Rice fell out of the Top 25 to No. 32. 

The Horned Frogs men had similar success, defeating No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 45 LSU to jump 19 spots to No. 18. TCU's rise was the largest of the week and one of only four double-digit increases. Mississippi's wins over No. 13 Florida and No. 29 South Carolina earned the Rebels the No. 20 ranking, 12 spots improved from last week.

Penn State (No. 26 to 16) and Indiana (No. 64 to 53) were the other two teams to make the most significant leaps. The Nittany Lions registered two Top 20 wins and qualified for the ITA Division I National Men's Team Indoor Championship. The Hoosiers passed on the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, and topped a pair of ranked Ivy League teams.

The men's Top 9 teams in last week's ITA Division I National Men's Team Rankings all won their ITA Kick-Off Weekend groups, and the Top 5 teams remain the same. But prior to the weekend, Division I Men's National Team Indoor Championships host Illinois upended No. 6 Baylor, 4-3. The win vaulted the Illini into the Top 10 and sent the Bears down four spots to No. 10.

Follow the Leader: For the men, USC is followed by (in order): Oklahoma, Virginia, UCLA, Ohio State, North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Texas and Baylor. On the women's side, UCLA is followed by Florida, North Carolina, Duke, California, Baylor, Alabama, Stanford, Georgia and Virginia.

Conference Count: How the men's and women's Top 25 team rankings are divided up by conference:   

Men's Top 25: SEC - 6; ACC & Big 12 - 5; Pac-12 & Big Ten - 3; AAC - 2; Ivy League - 1

Women's Top 25: ACC - 7; SEC - 7; Pac-12 - 4; Big 12 - 4; Big Ten - 2; C-USA - 1 

Double-Dip: This week, 15 schools have both their men's and women's programs ranked inside the Top 25.

Top 75 Newcomers: Four men's teams moved into the ITA Division I National Men's Team Rankings this week. Central Florida, who started the season in the Top 75 before a tough start in 2015, finds itself at No. 69 this week after topping No. 52 Miami (FL). Utah State (6-0) remained undefeated, and a win over 70th-ranked San Diego State helped the Aggies claim the No. 70 spot. Georgia Tech (No. 72) and Portland (No. 74) also earned their place in the Top 75.

On the women's side, William & Mary entered the rankings at No. 74 after scoring wins against Penn State and Morgan State over the weekend. The Michigan State Spartans are now ranked No. 75 after upsetting No. 72 Fresno State during ITA Kick-Off Weekend competition. The upset knocked Fresno State out of the Top 75.  

On the Way to UVA: The 2015 ITA Women's National Team Indoor Championship, hosted by the University of Virginia at the Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, VA is slated for February 6-9. Eight top teams are among the field, while the lowest ranked team to have earned a bid is No. 21 Kentucky. The Wildcats entered ITA Kick-Off Weekend ranked No. 44 and upset No. 17 Northwestern and No. 21 Rice. 

2015 ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship Field

Coming Up Next: The 2015 ITA National Team Rankings continue for the men next Tuesday, February 3; the women will not have any rankings released next week while they compete in the 2015 ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship. Singles and doubles rankings will be published every other week, beginning Feb. 10. Complete ITA College Tennis Rankings can be found at by clicking here.

About the ITA Rankings  

As the governing body of college tennis, the ITA administers the ITA College Tennis Rankings (Singles, Doubles, and Team) that are designed to track the top men and women teams and singles and doubles players in NCAA Divisions I, II, III, NAIA, Junior Colleges and California Junior Colleges. For full rankings information, please visit http://www.itatennis.com/AwardsAndRankings/Rankings.htm.