ITA RANKINGS
SKILLMAN, N.J. - Augustana moved up to No. 4 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association Central Region Rankings.
Katie Jesperson and
Jessa Richards both were ranked in the Top 20 of the singles rankings. Jesperson and doubles partner
Michelle Wadas remained in the top 10 of the doubles rankings.
Augustana jumped Northwest Missouri State to No. 4 in the third set of Central Region rankings released by the ITA. Southwest Baptist remains the top-ranked squad and Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma are No. 2 and 3, respectively.
The Vikings are 21-2 on the season and won their fourth straight regular season NSIC championship with a 12-0 record in league play. Augustana also grabbed their third consecutive NSIC Tournament title with their three wins last weekend.
Jesperson jumped all the way up from No. 9 to No. 2 in the singles rankings after beating the former second-ranked singles player, Vanessa Gunawan from Nebraska-Kearney, in straight sets two weeks ago. Jesperson is 19-1 on the season with her lone loss coming to a Division I opponent.
Richards moved to No. 19 after appearing at No. 20 in last month's rankings. Richards improved her ranking by beating UNK's Kristin Weems, who was ranked one slot above her. Richards is 16-3 in the 2013 season with all three of her losses coming at the hands of Division I players.
Jesperson and Wadas fell two spots to No. 9 in the doubles rankings after reaching their highest ranking of seventh in last month's rankings. The Vikings' top doubles pairing is 16-5 in 2013 with two losses coming against non-Division I opponents.
The Vikings continue their season at the NCAA Central Region Tournament this weekend. They will face No. 35 Southwest Baptist in a round of 48 match in Bolivar, Mo.
