Marist Men, Quinnipiac Women Picked as 2016 MAAC Tennis Preseason Favorites
MAAC Sports
Marist Men, Quinnipiac Women Picked as 2016 MAAC Tennis Preseason Favorites
EDISON, NJ – The Marist College Red Foxes have been named the preseason favorite to win the 2016 MAAC Men’s Tennis Championship, while Quinnipiac University was the unanimous choice as the 2016 preseason favorite on the women’s side.
Marist received a total of 61 points in the poll, earning six of eight coaches’ first place votes. In the 2015 Men’s Tennis Championship, Marist won its third consecutive MAAC Tennis Championship title. The Red Foxes finished the 2015 season with a 15-8 record, going 6-1 in MAAC play. This year, Marist returns eight student-athletes from last year’s championship squad, including sophomore Rudolf Kurz, who was the MAAC Rookie of the Year and a member of the 2015 All-MAAC First Team.
Monmouth finished second in the MAAC Men’s Tennis Preseason Poll receiving 53 points, with one first place vote. Coming in third was Quinnipiac University with 52 points and one first place vote, followed by Fairfield University with 40 points to net fourth place. Niagara University finished in fifth place with 32 points, while Saint Peter’s University comes in at sixth with 20 points. Rider University takes seventh place with 18 points and Siena College rounds out the poll with 12 points.
On the women’s side, the defending regular season and tournament champion, Quinnipiac University, was picked as the preseason favorite according all eight of the league’s head coaches. Quinnipiac was unanimously selected, earning a total of 64 points. The Bobcats won their second consecutive MAAC Championship in 2015, also completing a perfect regular season going 10-0 against MAAC opponents. Quinnipiac went into the Championship as the #1 seed, and defeated both #4 Marist and #2 Niagara to clinch the 2015 Championship title. Quinnipiac returns junior Sydney Young and senior Sophia Dzulynsky, who both won key matches for the Bobcats last season.
Coming in second on the women’s side were Marist College with 53 points. Fairfield University came in third with 43 points, while Siena College earned fourth place with 42 points. Niagara University finished in fifth place with 38 points, while Saint Peter’s University came in at sixth place with 21 points. Monmouth University sits in seventh place with 17 points and Rider University rounds out the poll with 10 points.
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Men’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll
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1.
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Marist (6)
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61
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2.
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Monmouth (1)
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53
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3.
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Quinnipiac (1)
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52
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4.
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Fairfield
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40
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5.
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Niagara
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32
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6.
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Saint Peter’s
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20
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7.
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Rider
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18
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8.
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Siena
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12
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Women’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll
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1.
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Quinnipiac
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64
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2.
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Marist
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53
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3.
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Fairfield
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43
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4.
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Siena
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42
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5.
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Niagara
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38
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6.
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Saint Peter’s
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21
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7.
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Monmouth
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17
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8.
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Rider
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10
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