Santa Clara Men's Tennis Opens Season Ranked No. 36

Santa Clara Men's Tennis Opens Season Ranked No. 36

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -  After completing the most successful season to date in program history, the Santa Clara men's tennis program will open the year as the nation's No. 36-ranked program in the Intercollegiate Tennis Assosciation's preseason rankings. Additionally, junior John Lamble has been recognized as a ranked singles player in the ITA singles rankings.

No. 36 Santa Clara opens the season Jan. 19 with two dual matches as the Broncos will face UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz.

"It's a nice way to honor last years team with these preseason rankings," said Santa Clara head coach Derek Mills. "As we all know, everyone starts fresh and we have to prove ourselves all over again. The good thing is we have a lot of talent coming back so if we can focus ourselves on this year's goals and stay healthy we should have a solid year."

The Broncos are ranked No. 36 in the ITA preseason polls after making their first-ever NCAA appearence, including a first-round win over Texas last season. The Broncos finished 2012 ranked No. 33. 

Lamble, who became the first Bronco to receive bids to the ITA All-American Championship and the ITA Indoor Championship this past fall, will open the season as the No. 65-ranked singles player in the country. Last season Lamble led the Broncos in wins as Santa Clara's No. 2 player. He has been recognized as the No. 2 player in the Northest Region behind only Ben McClachlan of Cal - who Lamble faced in the ITA Regionals this fall. In doubles, Lamble received regional accolades with his partner Ilya Osintsev. The duo is the No. 9 tandem in the region.