If you played college tennis?

tennis life · 03-01-2007, 10:40 AM

Anyone here who is currently playing or has played college tennis please tell me where and how good you were during college. I want to play for a small Division 1 school and right now i have a few that i consider a possibility but i am always hoping to learn more.

Swissv2 · 03-01-2007, 10:57 AM

It depends on what school you wish to go for. D1 schools look for your HS or USTA records and providing that you have put strong tournament results you will be able to walk on to a team.

If you are unable to walk on to a team, you can still try out. This requires that you are a very solid 5.0+ player as coaches are looking for the all around guy. Your fundamentals must be solid, but need not be perfect; the coach will be able to train you on those. Everyone these days have power serves, but to be able to control your serve is key. Volleys, approaches, etc all must be very solid showing the capability of being a dangerous doubles player.

GL.

tennis life · 03-01-2007, 11:29 AM

Anyone here know what level some of the players are in the Big South Conference? Im interested in going to Coastal Carolina, Radford, High Point, or Winthrop. Also, do you think a 90-100 ranked player in the mid atlantic section would be able to walk on to one of those teams?

Raiden.Kaminari · 03-01-2007, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennis life

Anyone here know what level some of the players are in the Big South Conference? Im interested in going to Coastal Carolina, Radford, High Point, or Winthrop. Also, do you think a 90-100 ranked player in the mid atlantic section would be able to walk on to one of those teams?

No ... Div 1 schools are usually looking for players in the top 10 for a particular region. In fact, most Div 1 schools recruit former touring (European) pros who are going back to school for their degree.

Most likely if you are at least a 5.0 (better to be a 5.5) you will be allowed to walk on and practice with the non-travelling team (that is formed to satisfy NCAA rules).

tennis life · 03-01-2007, 12:01 PM

So I i walked on the team as a 5.0 i would not be able to travel with the team but would still get in some home matches possibly?
and is it true that in college you dont play lets?
EDIT: i mean is it true that you do play lets

Pusher · 03-01-2007, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennis life

Anyone here know what level some of the players are in the Big South Conference? Im interested in going to Coastal Carolina, Radford, High Point, or Winthrop. Also, do you think a 90-100 ranked player in the mid atlantic section would be able to walk on to one of those teams?

Probably not.

I just got back from watching a D-1 girls match with more "ovas" in the lineup than the Ukranian fed cup team.

Honestly, out of the two teams there was only one american player. Its getting pretty ridiculous.

gokou703 · 03-01-2007, 02:28 PM

It is so difficult to get on a Div 1 school. If you weren't scouted out of juniors your chances of walking is very slim. I suggest considering div 2-3,NAIA, or junior college. I played 2 years of junior college recently and saw quite a few people transfer to high quality programs. I only saw a couple players transfer to a Div 1 school though (all were foreign players). So keep your options open and consider playing other levels other than div 1. BTW div 2-3, NAIA, and junior college you could probably make some teams if you're a very strong 4.0(sandbagger) or 4.5 level

JLyon · 03-02-2007, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennis life

So I i walked on the team as a 5.0 i would not be able to travel with the team but would still get in some home matches possibly?
and is it true that in college you dont play lets?
EDIT: i mean is it true that you do play lets

Only NCAA Div 1 Men play lets, due to the big serves and constant cheating. this rule has been an ITA Rule for about 5 years now.

Also check out Presbyterian College in NC, my doubles partner from H.S. went there and he was maybe Top 100 in Texas.

03-02-2007, 10:38 AM

I'm currently playing D1 tennis right now. I would say that you would most likely need to be in the top 25 or so of your section (depending on the section though). For really strong sections, you could be ranked higher. It all just depends on the school though. Try getting in touch with the coach and see what he has to say. Good luck tennis life!

10ispro · 03-02-2007, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennisboy87

I'm currently playing D1 tennis right now. I would say that you would most likely need to be in the top 25 or so of your section (depending on the section though). For really strong sections, you could be ranked higher. It all just depends on the school though. Try getting in touch with the coach and see what he has to say. Good luck tennis life!

This is the only reasonable advice on this post---everyone else is alot of speculation. Everything is school dependent. There are a bunch of small D1 schools that cant fill rosters and have players with varying abaility--this is True across the board at every level of college tennis.

The Big name schools of course have the top players who are easily 5.0+, but many of them have guys who are solid 4.0 and 4.5s who are "on the team" and get some travel time and play some of the "B" Flight tournaments, but they arent the starting varsity players.

Since you asked about Midatlantic-- German Boryachinskiy was ranked 13 in MATA last year in 18 and under and is now playing at Clemson, #6-8 singles.
Clemson is #31 in the Country right now.

Best advice, email and call the coach, let them know you are interested. He will give you an idea of what they are looking for in ********. All Coaches are looking for top flight talent, so take the " you have to be ranked X to be considered' with a grain of salt.
Schedule a Visit with the school and coach. most often he will arrange for you to meet and play some of the players, usually someone in the middle of the line up and someone at the bottom of the team.
Then he'll ask them what they thought of you. Dont have a bad attitude, dont get upset when you play. work hard for every ball. Depending on the nature of the visit, official or unoffical the coach may be present to see some of it.
After yoru visit follow up with the coach to at least thank him and express your continued interest in the school, and assure him that he'll be hearing from you again and youll work hard to achieve the goals he set for you .

Raiden.Kaminari · 03-02-2007, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennis life

So I i walked on the team as a 5.0 i would not be able to travel with the team but would still get in some home matches possibly?
and is it true that in college you dont play lets?
EDIT: i mean is it true that you do play lets

No, you wouldn't even play home matches.

andfor · 03-03-2007, 11:47 AM

I had a nice long post but the system logged me out. So here's the Cliff Notes version.

1. Make a tennis/academic resume you can forward to your college coaches you are interested in. Include references from H.S. coaches, teaching pros and teachers, 1 each should be enough.
2. If you have the time and resources make a tennis video of yourself practicing and of some match play singles and doubles. Along with your resume this may help perk their interest. Keep it simple.
3. Make sure you register for an account and fill in all the info on your account at the following website. http://www.tennisrecruiting.net/
4. If you are willing to work very hard at your game from the sounds of your current ranking and of the schools you are interested in you have a shot. Go for it.
5. Contact the coaches and see if you can arrange a visit. All programs are not the same, that goes for D1 as well as DII, DIII, NAIA and JUCO. Some coaches are looking for moldable talent with a strong work ethic in practice and who will develop into varsity material.
6. Some DII, DIII, NAIA and JUCO teams are very strong. Don't be deceived by the D1 moniker, some of them stink. Look at the coach and find out what his philosophy's are on tennis, academia etc., Does he only want top ranked players or is he willing to work with players with a lot of desire and heart? Check the tennis and athletic facilities and find out how well the school supports tennis.

FYI. I was about a 4.0 out of H.S. Went to a small nationally ranked NAIA program in the Mid-west. I got to play for two great coaches who worked hard to develop their players games. Freshman year I started out about #11 of 22 on the team. Moved up to #8. Got to travel some with the varsity and got to play exhibition matches at #8 singles and #4 doubles. Sophomore #5 singles conference champion. Junior #2-4 singles and #3 doubles. Senior #3-4 singles and #2 doubles. Our little NAIA teams beat D1 teams like Kansas State, Creighton and Drake.

Good luck

300Gkid · 03-03-2007, 12:12 PM

I'd suggest checking out the players on the teams, see what their ranking was while in HS, that will better help you gauge if you have a shot or not

johnkidd · 03-03-2007, 01:17 PM

I played for an NAIA school back in the early 90's and there were a few teams we played that were other NAIA schools or DII schools that could hang with some DI schools. My first year (which was our best year and I played #4 on that team) we beat one DI school and lost to another 5-4 and I served for my match in the third set. So as someone else said all DI teams are not created equal. What has made many schools better is the fact that some schools have dropped mens tennis for Title ix reasons so some schools that were weak butcontinued their progams got stronger because they are now an option for players that in the past wouldn't have looked at them. That is the case of the two DI schools I played against back in the day.

TonLars · 03-04-2007, 01:14 PM

All good advice and information. In short, each school is different, the Division doesnt mean everything. There are plenty of Division 1 schools you can play at if thats your desire, and that are not strong at all. Likewise the info on NAIA and Div 2 schools you should consider, because these divisions have some extremely strong programs that can greatly improve your game while being on a winning team, as well as top individual players that are at the same level as the best in Division 1.

N23 · 03-05-2007, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pusher

Probably not.

I just got back from watching a D-1 girls match with more "ovas" in the lineup than the Ukranian fed cup team.

Honestly, out of the two teams there was only one american player. Its getting pretty ridiculous.

Very true. Scary, I think.

vinouspleasure · 03-10-2007, 01:46 PM

Perhaps you should choose 10 schools that are the best cultural and academic fit first and then figure out if you want to shuffle the order to see if you have a shot to play tennis.

03-01-2007, 02:28 PM	#7
gokou703 Rookie Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 200	It is so difficult to get on a Div 1 school. If you weren't scouted out of juniors your chances of walking is very slim. I suggest considering div 2-3,NAIA, or junior college. I played 2 years of junior college recently and saw quite a few people transfer to high quality programs. I only saw a couple players transfer to a Div 1 school though (all were foreign players). So keep your options open and consider playing other levels other than div 1. BTW div 2-3, NAIA, and junior college you could probably make some teams if you're a very strong 4.0(sandbagger) or 4.5 level Last edited by gokou703 : 03-01-2007 at 02:30 PM.

03-03-2007, 11:47 AM	#12
andfor Hall Of Fame Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 4,130	I had a nice long post but the system logged me out. So here's the Cliff Notes version. 1. Make a tennis/academic resume you can forward to your college coaches you are interested in. Include references from H.S. coaches, teaching pros and teachers, 1 each should be enough. 2. If you have the time and resources make a tennis video of yourself practicing and of some match play singles and doubles. Along with your resume this may help perk their interest. Keep it simple. 3. Make sure you register for an account and fill in all the info on your account at the following website. http://www.tennisrecruiting.net/ 4. If you are willing to work very hard at your game from the sounds of your current ranking and of the schools you are interested in you have a shot. Go for it. 5. Contact the coaches and see if you can arrange a visit. All programs are not the same, that goes for D1 as well as DII, DIII, NAIA and JUCO. Some coaches are looking for moldable talent with a strong work ethic in practice and who will develop into varsity material. 6. Some DII, DIII, NAIA and JUCO teams are very strong. Don't be deceived by the D1 moniker, some of them stink. Look at the coach and find out what his philosophy's are on tennis, academia etc., Does he only want top ranked players or is he willing to work with players with a lot of desire and heart? Check the tennis and athletic facilities and find out how well the school supports tennis. FYI. I was about a 4.0 out of H.S. Went to a small nationally ranked NAIA program in the Mid-west. I got to play for two great coaches who worked hard to develop their players games. Freshman year I started out about #11 of 22 on the team. Moved up to #8. Got to travel some with the varsity and got to play exhibition matches at #8 singles and #4 doubles. Sophomore #5 singles conference champion. Junior #2-4 singles and #3 doubles. Senior #3-4 singles and #2 doubles. Our little NAIA teams beat D1 teams like Kansas State, Creighton and Drake. Good luck Last edited by andfor : 03-03-2007 at 03:24 PM.

03-04-2007, 01:14 PM	#15
TonLars Professional Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Minnesota, USA Posts: 1,447	All good advice and information. In short, each school is different, the Division doesnt mean everything. There are plenty of Division 1 schools you can play at if thats your desire, and that are not strong at all. Likewise the info on NAIA and Div 2 schools you should consider, because these divisions have some extremely strong programs that can greatly improve your game while being on a winning team, as well as top individual players that are at the same level as the best in Division 1. __________________ Solinco Tour Bite string

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