Brentwood, TN - Austin Peay State University ^[1] women’s tennis team was picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Poll, released Friday by the conference office.

In head coach Ross Brown ^[2]‘s first season, the Lady Govs are expected to contend for a top spot in the conference.

^[3]

Austin Peay Women’s Tennis. (Courtesy: Austin Peay Sports Information)

Defending champion Eastern Kentucky took 10 first-place votes and the top spot in the poll, while UT Martin (one first-place vote, 89 points) was second. The Lady Govs were third with 79 points, followed by Murray State (66) and Eastern Illinois (58).

“It’s always interesting to see what the other coaches think,” Brown said. “This team lost last year’s number-one player, so to be ranked so highly tells me that other coaches know we have a lot of depth. We’ve still got to prove it on the court, though.

“It’s a long season and a lot can change. It’s more important to be ranked high at the end of the year.”

The Lady Govs also had two players named to the Top Ten Player Rankings by the league’s head coaches – the only team aside from Eastern Kentucky with more than one player honored. Sophomore Ornella Di Salvo ^[4] was ranked fourth, while classmate Alison Carre ^[5] was chosen 10th.

Austin Peay’s women are off this weekend. They will return Friday, February 8th, when they travel to Chattanooga for a 6:00pm battle against the Mocs.

2013 OVC Women’s Tennis Predicted Order of Finish

(as voted on by the league’s head coaches)

1. Eastern Kentucky (10 first-place votes) – 100
2. UT Martin (1 first-place votes) – 89
3. Austin Peay – 79
4. Murray State – 66
5. Eastern Illinois – 58
6. Jacksonville State – 50
7. Morehead State – 48
8. Belmont – 40
9. Southeast Missouri – 34
10. SIUE – 31
11. Tennessee State – 11

2013 OVC Women’s Top Ten Player Rankings

(as voted on by the league’s head coaches)

1. Amandine Faouzi, So., Mareil Sur Mauldre, France – Eastern Kentucky
2. Ivon Simic, Jr., Lauterbach, Hesse, Germany – UT Martin
3. Melissa Gerristen, So., Ilpendam, Netherlands – Eastern Kentucky
4. Ornella Di Salvo, So., Argentina – Austin Peay
5. Ashley Canty, Sr., Powder Springs, Ga. – Murray State
6. Kristina Labeja, So., Riga, Latvia – Eastern Kentucky
7. Elizabeth Nyenwe, Jr., London, England – Southeast Missouri
8. Janelle Prisner, Jr., St. Johns, Mich. – Eastern Illinois
9. Raisa Guasti, Jr., Vitoria, Brazil – Jacksonville State
10. Alison Carre, So., La Tranche Sur Mer, France, Austin Peay