Sept. 8, 2005

LAS VEGAS - UNLV women's tennis saw two players earn a spot in the preseason edition of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national rankings.

Super sophomore Elena Gantcheva will head into the fall tournament season ranked 24th in the nation in singles.

Gantcheva burst on to the scene last season in record-setting fashion. After posting a stunning 14-1 record in tournament play, the native of Sofia, Bulgaria, went from unranked in the preseason all the way to 21st. She finished the season at No. 42 after posting a 31-8 overall mark in singles.

Gantcheva and fellow sophomore Sharon Marin also earned their first career ranking as the doubles team placed 36th heading into the fall. The duo turned in a 10-8 overall record last year, including 8-6 at the No. 1 spot.

"It's a tremendous honor to be ranked in the top 25 in the country," UNLV women's head coach Kevin Cory said. "Very few players in their college careers get into that elite group and we are extremely proud of what Elena has already accomplished. It's also exciting to see Sharon and Elena move into the top 50 of the doubles rankings."

The women's squad kicks off the fall season by hosting an invitational on Sept. 23-25.