Indiana University Athletics
Four Hoosiers Nab Midwest Regional Rankings
12/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Dec. 2, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana women's tennis team placed four Hoosier singles and one doubles pair in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Midwest Regional rankings as announced by the ITA on Dec. 2. Senior Sarah Batty, junior Laura McGaffigan, sophomore Brianna Williams and freshman Alba Berdala earned top-30 singles recognition, while Batty and McGaffigan picked up a No. 6 ranking in doubles.
"Since there are approximately 40 schools in the midwest region, its great that we have 4 players ranked in the top 30," Indiana head coach Lin Loring said. "But the rankings also show that we have a lot of work to do to be competitive in the region and in the Big Ten."
Batty leads the Hoosiers with a No. 12 ranking. The senior tallied six wins and four losses in the fall, including one win over a ranked opponent. Last spring, Batty finished with a record of 19-11 overall and a 7-3 mark against Big Ten opponents.
Williams picked up the next highest ranking at No. 20. The Tampa Fla., native rounded out the fall 6-2, advancing to the finals of the Flight C bracket at the Hoosier Classic. Additionally, Williams did not drop a match at the season's last outing, the Western Michigan Duals. Last season, Williams tallied 20 singles victories.
McGaffigan, who finished the fall season 5-2, is ranked No. 22 in the regional rankings. McGaffigan recorded a runner-up finish at the Hoosier Classic and a strong showing at both the Regional and the Western Michigan Duals.
Berdala picked up her first career regional ranking in the No. 28 slot. The freshman registered eight wins and three losses in singles play for the fall campaign. In her first outing at the Bronco Invite, Berdala claimed four-straight wins for the Flight A singles crown. Additionally, Berdala did not drop a match in her last fall outing, the Western Michigan Duals,
In doubles, Batty and McGaffigan nabbed a No. 6 ranking. For the fall, the Hoosier pair won seven of its 11 matches. A trip to Pacific Palisades, Calif., for the ITA's All-American Championship highlighted the fall for the Indiana duo. Despite dropping two tightly-contested matches, Batty and McGaffigan gained the confidence needed to compete with the nation's best doubles teams.
The Hoosiers' spring season gets under way on Jan. 15 at the Varsity Tennis Center. Indiana will square off against Miami (Ohio) at 9:30 a.m., before facing Western Michigan at 2:30 p.m.
