June 14, 2006

BALTIMORE, MD - The Johns Hopkins men's tennis team earned a #28 ranking in the final FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings as published by the ITA. Sophomore Joe Vasoontara (Bangok, Thailand/Loomis Chaffee) and junior Hillen Smith (Baltimore, MD/Boys Latin) earned regional singles and doubles rankings.

The Blue Jays earned their first ever bid to the NCAA Tournament this season, meeting Mary Washington in the first round on May 6. This is the first time since at least the 2000 season that Johns Hopkins has been ranked nationally in the final poll of the season.

Vasoontara, ranked 13th in the Atlantic South region, posted a 6-11 singles record. In Centennial Conference play, he posted a 5-2 record. Ranked #19 during the season, Vasoontara moved up six spots in the final rankings. Smith, playing at #2 primarily, posted a 11-3 overall record. In conference action, he went 6-0. Smith, who was unranked during the season, earned a #21 ranking in the final rankings. The pair is also ranked #8 in doubles, after posting an 8-5 overall record. In conference action, the pair went 4-1.

Under the guidance of second-year coach Chuck Willenborg the Blue Jays have quickly made their mark at the national level. Willenborg guided Hopkins to its first-ever Centennial Conference title and a 13-2 record in 2005 before upgrading the schedule this season to better position the Blue Jays for a chance at a selection to the NCAA Tournament. Hopkins posted a 10-9 record this season while playing nationally ranked Mary Washington and Swarthmore. The Blue Jays also played regionally ranked Methodist, Carnegie Mellon, Christopher Newport, Salisbury, Haverford and The College of New Jersey.

Johns Hopkins spent the entire 2006 season ranked among the top 10 teams in the region and entered the Centennial Conference Championships as the number three seed and ranked eighth in the region. A 4-3 upset of second-seeded (and number seven regionally-ranked) Haverford landed the Blue Jays in the Centennial title match and likely secured the at-large berth to the NCAAs.