Jan. 27, 2003

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - With both the men's and women's teams beginning to establish themselves in the national rankings, The University of Memphis tennis program took another step forward in national prominence with the announcement that the 2003 ITA Men's Southeast Regional would be hosted at The Racquet Club by The University of Memphis, Oct. 16-19, 2003.

The men's college tennis scene culminates in the fall with the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. That tournament, which will be held Nov. 6-9, 2003, in Dallas, Texas, takes the winners of each of the eight regional contests to compete for national bragging rights following the completion of the fall tournament schedule. Memphis will be one of the eight regional sites sending winners to the indoor championships.

"This is a big honor for our program," Tiger Head Coach Phil Chamberlain said. "The Southeast Region is so tough, it features most of the SEC schools and programs in Tennessee, Kentucky and over to Georgia. Second to the Indoor Championships, the Southeast Regional is probably one of the top collegiate tennis tournaments in the country."

The 2002 Southeast Regional was hosted by the University of Kentucky. In that regional, the Tiger No. 1 doubles team of Ben Stapp and Lee Taylor Walker advanced to the finals where they fell to the No. 1 doubles team from the University of Alabama. Walker also advanced to the quarterfinals in singles, helping him earn a National Ranking of 113 in the pre-season singles rankings. Walker and Stapp are ranked 12th in the country in doubles in the same poll.

The weekend of Oct. 16-19 could be a big collegiate tennis weekend for Memphis, as that is the same weekend the Lady Tigers traditionally host their own tennis tournament on campus at The University of Memphis.