TEMPE, Ariz. (UCFKnights.com) – UCF junior transfer Korey Lovett has been listed as the preseason No. 51 singles player in the NCAA, according to the 2016 Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Men's Division I Preseason Rankings which were released Tuesday afternoon.
Lovett joined the Knights this summer after competing the previous two seasons at Alabama. The Brevard, North Carolina, native played primarily at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles for the Crimson Tide the last two seasons. He finished the 2016 season ranked sixth nationally in doubles and 80thin singles with three victories over nationally ranked players. Following Lovett's freshman season, he was tabbed the ITA Southern Region Rookie of the Year, listed on the SEC All-Freshman Team and voted Alabama's Most Valuable Player.
The 6-foot-4 newcomer is the second-highest ranked American Athletic Conference player with Tulsa's Or Ram Harel sitting at No. 25. The American has a total of seven players ranked in the top 125.
The preseason rankings will be the only set of rankings released during the fall season, with the Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings set to return the first week of January 2017.
RODDICK NAMED DIRECTOR OF TENNIS
John Roddick was named the Knights' Director of Tennis on May 29, having oversight of both men's and women's tennis programs.
Roddick is one of the most successful collegiate tennis coaches in the nation, having led Oklahoma to three consecutive NCAA Division I runner-up finishes. He was named the ITA National Coach of the Year in 2014 and has also earned two ITA Central Region Coach of the Year awards and four Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year honors.
