Jan. 6, 2010

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis women's tennis netters Courtney Collins and Ashley Murdock were both acknowledged in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's preseason rankings released on Tuesday.

Collins, a freshman from Fulton, Miss., and Murdock, a senior from Memphis, Tenn., both garnered rankings in the Ohio Valley region. Collins was ranked as the No. 17 singles player in the region, while Murdock, a two-time All-C-USA selection, was ranked as the No. 19 netter in the region.

Collins was ranked as the No. 1 recruit out of the state of Mississippi, as well as a Top 50 recruit in the Southeast Region according to tennisrecruiting.net, prior to arriving at the University of Memphis in the fall. The Memphis freshman put up a 8-6 overall singles mark in her first fall of collegiate tennis.

Murdock, one of four seniors on the Lady Tiger roster for the 2009-10 season, put up a 14-8 singles mark last spring on her way to her second-straight selection to the All-C-USA second team. In her two seasons at Memphis, Murdock has won nearly 30 singles dual matches.

The Lady Tigers will open the season with two matches on Jan. 17 in Tulsa, Okla. Memphis will take on Oral Roberts and C-USA foe Tulsa.