HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's tennis team is well represented in the latest national and regional rankings releases from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) as well as the latest NCAA Region III rankings unveiling.
In the ITA national rankings, Haverford checks in as the No. 29 team in the nation, the second-ranked team out of the Centennial Conference behind just No. 6 Johns Hopkins. In the Atlantic South regional rankings, Haverford is slotted eighth behind Emory, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, Sewanee, Christopher Newport, Washington and Lee, and Mary Washington.
Ellie Esterowitz is ranked 16th in singles in the Atlantic South, while the pairing of Abbey Russano and Esterowitz is the eighth-ranked doubles pairing among Atlantic South teams.
In the NCAA Regional Rankings, which differ from the ITA rankings but ultimately contribute to selection criteria for the NCAA tournament, Haverford is the second-ranked team in Region III, behind only Johns Hopkins but ahead of Swarthmore, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Stevens, and Washington College.
Russano checks in as the third-ranked singles player in Region III, behind Mary Beth Hurley and Sophia Kim of Johns Hopkins. Esterowitz is also listed as in consideration. The doubles team of Esterowitz and Russano is also the top-ranked pairing in Region III.
The pairing of Esterowitz and Russano has been nearly unstoppable this season, settling into the tune of a 14-3 overall record, including an 11-2 mark in the dual match season. The pair is 8-2 over its last 10 appearances and a perfect 6-0 in CC play.
Individually, Russano has delivered a 9-5 mark so far this season, including a 7-4 mark at number one singles for the Fords. Esterowitz has won her last four matches, with a perfect 4-0 mark in Centennial Conference play this year.
The national committee selects a percentage of singles players and doubles teams from each of the eight regions, leading to championships with 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams. The selection announcement is slated for May 8, 2024.
Haverford (10-5, 7-1 CC) resumes action on Saturday to conclude the Centennial Conference regular season at Dickinson, facing off against the Red Devils in Carlisle, with the match slated to begin at noon.