March 17, 2010

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Led by a pair of freshmen, the USC Upstate women's tennis team has continued to reach new heights during the 2010 season, as the team reentered the Campbell/ITA National Rankings at No. 73, the ITA announced late Tuesday, and both freshmen Francisca Valderrama and Simona Cacciuttolo entered the national singles rankings at No. 112.

Upstate (9-1 overall) is the lone representative of the A-Sun in the ITA rankings this week and it reenters the poll after a one-week absence, first entering the poll at No. 75 on March 2. Two other A-Sun teams have earned rankings during the season, with UNF reaching No. 70 on March 9 and ETSU reaching No. 75 on Feb. 18.

The Spartans' Chilean freshmen duo, meanwhile, are the highest ranked A-Sun players and make up two of the three A-Sun players ranked in the conference.

Valderrama, from Santiago, Chile, has risen to the top of Upstate's lineup, posting a 6-1 mark at the No. 1 singles position after starting the year with a 3-0 mark at No. 2 singles.

Cacciuttolo, from Los Andes, Chile, has been just as steady, posting a 9-1 record while playing anywhere from No. 2 to No. 5 in the lineup, posting a 4-1 mark at No. 3 singles.

The lone other player in the national rankings is Jacksonville's Tatiana Soldatova, who is currently 125th in the nation. She was a First Team All-A-Sun selection in 2009.

ETSU's Yevgeniya Stupak dropped out of the rankings after being placed at No. 117 in the March 2 rankings. Stupak began the year at 98th in the ITA rankings, the highest-mark for an A-Sun player this season.

The Spartans are facing Charlotte at 2:30 p.m. today (Wednesday, March 17) in Charlotte before a big match against ETSU, the defending A-Sun Tournament champions, on Friday at 12 p.m.