April 6, 2004

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV men's tennis team appeared in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's national rankings for the first time in 15 months on Tuesday.

The Rebels, who currently stand at No. 70, improved to 11-5 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference with a pair of league victories over the weekend, including upsetting then-No. 64 San Diego State 4-3 on Sunday.

The last time UNLV's men appeared on the 75-team list was Jan. 13, 2003, at the No. 68 spot.

"One of our goals this year was to earn a ranking and to achieve that goal this week is a major step toward rebuilding this program," said UNLV interim head coach Owen Hambrook, who took over a team that had gone 2-14 a year ago. "These guys have worked hard on and off the court and we are beginning to see positive results."

There was more good news for the men's program as No. 1 singles player Henner Nehles moved up three spots to 74th with an overall record of 16-6 and junior Aviram Salomon (16-5) joined the rankings for the first time in his career by taking the final spot at 125.

It marked the first time two Rebels were ranked during the same week since April 15, 1997, when eventual NCAA champion Luke Smith was 59th and teammate Asaf Tishler rated 98th. Also, the UNLV women's squad (11-5) dropped five spots to No. 48 this week. No Lady Rebels were currently ranked in singles or doubles.