Men’s Tennis
For the first time ever, The University of Memphis men’s tennis team is ranked in the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) Preseason Rankings.
Memphis, which returns three seniors and two juniors from last season’s squad, is ranked 74th out of the Top 75.
“We have the most depth we’ve had since I’ve been here,” head coach Phil Chamberlain said. “We’ve been training all fall and the players have worked extremely hard. We’re hitting the ball well right now.”
Chamberlain, whose team opens the season in Nashville Jan. 25 against UT-Martin before matching up against 30th-ranked Vanderbilt Jan. 26, said he is also expecting a big boost from Clemson transfer Lee Walker.
“(The players) are interchangeable at one through six,” he said.
Memphis is one of five Conference USA teams ranked in the Top 75. TCU ranks 19th, followed by Tulane (No. 31), South Florida (No. 38) and Louisville (No. 67).
“Obviously I’m very pleased with the ranking,” Chamberlain said. “We have two Top 30 teams in our first four matches, so we have the opportunity to move up.”
The Tigers will face No. 4 Tennessee just eight days after their match against Vanderbilt.
Women’s Basketball
Lady Tiger head coach Joye Lee-McNelis has officially announced former Kentucky sophomore guard/forward Stephanie Stoglin has transferred to the University of Memphis. As a transfer athlete, Stoglin — the fourth-leading scorer for Kentucky her freshman season when she averaged seven points per game — won’t be eligible to play for Memphis until December of next season, but will be allowed to practice with the team.
“We recruited her heavily out of high school, and we really wish that we could have had her in our program throughout her entire career,” Lee-McNelis said.
Stoglin, the daughter of Jackson State (Miss.) men’s basketball head coach Andy Stoglin, prepped at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Okla., where she averaged 20.3 points and 11.6 rebounds per game as a senior. A three-time MVP, the 6-0 Stoglin was also listed as one of USA Today’s Top Players to Watch.
“She will be an asset to us in practice and we expect her to challenge our post players everyday,” Lee-McNelis said.
Stoglin played in seven games for Kentucky this season before requesting her release from Wildcat head coach Bernadette Maddox. She averaged 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in just 14.3 minutes per game this season.
