KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Over the past few seasons, the Tennessee men’s tennis team has enjoyed a stretch of notoriety as a household program within the sport.
Under the direction of head coach Chris Woodruff, the Vols have reached the past five NCAA Super Regionals, which is the program’s longest streak since the NCAA Tournament expanded.
Since the 2020-21 season, the Vols boast two NCAA semifinal appearances (2021 and 2022), an SEC Tournament Championship (2021) and were the 2022 ITA National Indoor finalists.
2023-24 IN REVIEW
The Big Orange enjoyed a steady balance of continued success and newfound accomplishments during the previous season. For the third time in the past four years, the Vols eclipsed the 25-win mark and reached the NCAA Quarterfinals. The squad also had its first player secure the top spot in the ITA singles rankings since 2013, as two-time SEC Player of the Year and four-time ITA Singles All-American Johannus Monday earned the distinction in May.
For the first time in program history, Tennessee reached a perfect 18-0 record at home, including four wins over top-25 ranked opponents. Finishing with an ITA end-of-year ranking of seventh, UT was one of only four programs in the country to be ranked inside the top 10 all season.
Entering the 2024-25 campaign, Woodruff’s eighth as the head coach at Tennessee and 23rd year on staff, the Vols have a mix of returning talent, experienced transfers and skilled freshmen that make this team poised to make a splash this upcoming year. The 2024-25 squad has three returners, four transfers and two newcomers in total.
THE RETURNERS
Shunsuke Mitsui, a senior from Shizuoka, Japan, currently sits eighth in program history for singles winning percentage at 78.6. He is coming off of a stretch of impressive outings in the postseason, making it to the NCAA Singles Round of 16 to garner ITA All-American honors. For his career, Mitsui has a 92-25 record in singles and a 79-23 mark in doubles play. Mitsui is a three-time All-SEC member, including a first-team designation this past season.
James Newton heads into his second season on Rocky Top after tallying double-digit wins in singles this past year. The Perth, Australia, native continues the streak of Aussies within the program, bringing the total to a nation-leading 38 straight years of an Australian on the roster.
Filip Pieczonka, a sophomore from Gdansk, Poland, tallied 19 singles wins and 22 doubles…
Under the direction of head coach Chris Woodruff, the Vols have reached the past five NCAA Super Regionals, which is the program’s longest streak since the NCAA Tournament expanded.
Since the 2020-21 season, the Vols boast two NCAA semifinal appearances (2021 and 2022), an SEC Tournament Championship (2021) and were the 2022 ITA National Indoor finalists.
2023-24 IN REVIEW
The Big Orange enjoyed a steady balance of continued success and newfound accomplishments during the previous season. For the third time in the past four years, the Vols eclipsed the 25-win mark and reached the NCAA Quarterfinals. The squad also had its first player secure the top spot in the ITA singles rankings since 2013, as two-time SEC Player of the Year and four-time ITA Singles All-American Johannus Monday earned the distinction in May.
For the first time in program history, Tennessee reached a perfect 18-0 record at home, including four wins over top-25 ranked opponents. Finishing with an ITA end-of-year ranking of seventh, UT was one of only four programs in the country to be ranked inside the top 10 all season.
Entering the 2024-25 campaign, Woodruff’s eighth as the head coach at Tennessee and 23rd year on staff, the Vols have a mix of returning talent, experienced transfers and skilled freshmen that make this team poised to make a splash this upcoming year. The 2024-25 squad has three returners, four transfers and two newcomers in total.
THE RETURNERS
Shunsuke Mitsui, a senior from Shizuoka, Japan, currently sits eighth in program history for singles winning percentage at 78.6. He is coming off of a stretch of impressive outings in the postseason, making it to the NCAA Singles Round of 16 to garner ITA All-American honors. For his career, Mitsui has a 92-25 record in singles and a 79-23 mark in doubles play. Mitsui is a three-time All-SEC member, including a first-team designation this past season.
James Newton heads into his second season on Rocky Top after tallying double-digit wins in singles this past year. The Perth, Australia, native continues the streak of Aussies within the program, bringing the total to a nation-leading 38 straight years of an Australian on the roster.
Filip Pieczonka, a sophomore from Gdansk, Poland, tallied 19 singles wins and 22 doubles…
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