POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (December 11, 2012) – The Vassar College women's tennis team is ranked 19th nationally among 380 Division III programs. Sophomore Ava Sadeghi earned a No. 7 Northeast Regional singles ranking and Sadeghi and sophomore Samantha Schapiro are ranked third in the region as released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association last week.

Sadeghi improved from a No. 15 spring singles ranking. This is the first regional doubles ranking for both Sadeghi and Schapiro and marks the fourth time in Vassar tennis history that a Vassar doubles pair has been ranked in the top four in the Northeast region. In singles Vassar players have earned top eight regional (and many national) rankings over 25 times.

Last spring the Vassar team finished 20th nationally and had moved up six spots from the 2011 finish of 26th.  In 2012 the team posted a 15-5 mark and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen (Rd. of 16) in the NCAA Championship. The ITA ranks the top thirty teams nationally. Vassar has earned national team rankings every year since 2000 and for 19 years overall since 1988. 

The Brewers made Vassar history this fall when Sadeghi won the singles title at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships and Sadeghi and Schapiro won the doubles title. Players over the years have won the singles and doubles titles but never in the same year.

Sadeghi defended her regional singles title from last year. Schapiro and Sadeghi advanced to the ITA Nationals in Mobile, AL where the pair finished sixth in doubles and Sadeghi finished eighth in singles. Both players earned All-American honors in doubles and Sadeghi garnered her second All-American singles honor.

Vassar also had a strong team showing at the New York State Championships when sophomore Hannah Van Demark was a singles finalist in the No. 6 flight.

The spring season for the Brewers opens at home on February 16 against Fordham University and is followed by dual matches in the northeast, a spring break trip to southern California and two championship tournaments. The two tournaments are the Seven Sisters Championship, which Vassar won in 2012, and the Liberty League Championship.