March 1, 2005

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV women's tennis team, fresh from a big upset victory, moved up 18 spots to No. 30 in the national rankings, which were released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Tuesday.

The Lady Rebels stand 3-1 overall after taking second place at their own tournament last weekend. UNLV downed then-No. 21 Fresno State 4-3 in the semifinals before falling to now-14th-ranked Tulane in the championship match.

It marks the highest ranking for a UNLV tennis team since the women's squad was also 30th on April 28, 2003.

The Lady Rebels host Utah State on Friday at 1 p.m. and UC Riverside on Sunday beginning at 10 a.m.

On the men's side, UNLV fell one spot despite riding a seven-match winning streak. The Rebels (7-2) did not play last week and get back in action on March 9 when they host 55th-ranked South Carolina.