Ferris State Men's Tennis Vaults To #15 In The Nation In Latest Division II Poll

Big Rapids, Mich. - After an impressive start to the 2016-17 campaign, the Ferris State University men's tennis team has vaulted into the top 15 of the latest Division II National Rankings.

The Bulldogs are ranked 15th this week in the current Oracle/ITA Division II Men's Rankings, which are administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. FSU climbed five spots in the poll after being ranked 20th in the previous rankings.

FSU is the number one team in the Midwest Region and the highest-ranked regional squad in the poll with the region's number two team in Indianapolis only a spot back at 16th in the country.

Overall, West Florida tops the national poll followed by Barry (Fla.), Saint Leo (Fla.), Armstrong Atlantic State (Ga.) and Lander (Fla.) in the top five overall. Ferris State is the nation's highest-ranked team from outside the southern and western states of Florida, Georgia, California and Hawaii.

Ferris State is currently 9-2 overall this season with both setbacks coming on the road against two fellow nationally-ranked squads in Southeastern Oklahoma State and Midwestern State (Texas), which both previously were ranked ahead of FSU in the top 20 but now ranked 19th and 21st, respectively.

Individually, FSU's Till von Winning is ranked 25th in the national singles rankings with the paring of von Winning and Steward Sell listed 16th among the nation's top doubles teams.

The Bulldogs went 3-0 last weekend at the inaugural GLIAC/GLVC Regional Crossover in Plainfield, Ill., and will resume Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play on the road Tuesday (March 28) versus West Michigan rival Grand Valley State at the Premier Athletic Club in Grandville. Match time for the late night encounter is set for 10 p.m. (ET).

Ferris State, which is off to a 2-0 start in the GLIAC, will play eight more regular-season matches prior to the 2017 GLIAC Tournament set for April 21-23 in Midland. FSU is the two-time defending league regular-season champion and claimed both the GLIAC's regular-season title and tournament titles in the same campaign for the first-time in school history a year ago prior to making a memorable postseason run by winning the Midwest Regional and advancing to the NCAA Final Four.