ITA Atlantic South Regional Rankings
HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's tennis team moved up to No. 10 in the latest ITA South Atlantic Region rankings that were released on Thursday. The Fords started the preseason at No. 11 in the regional poll and are off to a perfect 2-0 start in Centennial Conference play after back-to-back 9-0 sweeps to begin the conference slate.
A total of six Centennial Conference teams are currently ranked in the South Atlantic Region. Johns Hopkins is ranked fourth in the region and 20th in the national poll. Swarthmore, Haverford, and Franklin & Marshall are locked in a tight battle with those teams occupying the respective ninth through 11th positions.
Haverford is the first team in the region sitting just outside of the national rankings as Swarthmore is No. 37 in the national poll. The fight for playoff positioning appears to be a highly contested battle as Ursinus and Washington College are ranked No. 17 and No. 20 in the region, respectively.
Reigning Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year Josh Moskovitz has moved into the regional singles rankings and is No. 19 in the latest release. Moskovitz is 5-3 at the No. 1 singles position for the Fords this spring. The sophomore's spring is currently highlighted by his win over Justin Cerny of Christopher Newport. Cerny is the No. 49 singles player in the national rankings. Moskovitz's only defeats have come at the hands of nationally-ranked team's No. 1 players, including the No. 15 player in the entire country, Branden Metzler of Kalamazoo College.
Moskovitz joins teammate Dais Nakayama in the rankings as they make up the No. 13 doubles pairing in the region. Haverford's top doubles team is 4-4 during the spring season, but appears to be hitting its stride as those four wins all came in their last four matches paired together. The duo's victories are currently headlined by an 8-3 win against then-No. 18 Kalamazoo's top doubles team.
Men's tennis has the upcoming weekend away from competition but will look to stay unbeaten in Centennial action next week against a pair of teams who are also in the regional rankings. Conference action resumes with a trip to Washington College next Wednesday, April 5 in a 4 p.m. start. The Fords return home next Saturday for a 12 p.m. first serve against Franklin & Marshall.