KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NAIA released its fifth Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll of the 2023 season, and the Loyola Wolf Pack landed at No. 16 in the national rankings.
Loyola's women's tennis team has been ranked inside the top 25 in each of the last 38 national polls. Four different Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) teams earned a spot among the top 16 teams: No. 7 Middle Georgia, No. 11 William Carey, No. 13 Mobile, and the No. 16 Wolf Pack. Loyola's also continued to receive votes in the national men's poll. The final set of rankings will be released on April 26, a day before the conference championships are scheduled to begin.
Since the last rankings on March 29, the Wolf Pack have played in four matches, two of which came against highly ranked opponents. Before a 4-1 loss against St. Thomas, which is now ranked No. 12, the Wolf Pack competed at the annual SSAC Roundup, posting a 2-1 record with wins against Florida National and Blue Mountain, which is receiving votes. The one loss came against Middle Georgia, 4-3, in a match that could have been taken by either team.
Despite the one loss at the Roundup, Loyola's tennis program garnered its first NAIA Player of the Week award, as Lucy Carpenter, who went 5-0 that week in singles and doubles, won the national honor after being named the conference's player of the week.
Carpenter is tied with Micaela Ponce for most singles wins on the Wolf Pack this season, with both owning 10-5 records heading into the conference tournament. Adele Fereres has also had a successful season, with a 9-3 singles record. In doubles, the team of Ponce and Ariana Salgueiro-Estela lead the team with a 12-3 overall record, while Carpenter and Fatima Vasquez are 8-5 at No. 1 doubles.
With the regular season done for the Wolf Pack women, the team now will prepare for the SSAC Championship tournament, which will be held in Montgomery, Ala. starting on April 27. Before the men play in the conference tournament, they have one more road match against Nicholls on April 14.
You can keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
