Sept. 14, 1999

LUBBOCK, Texas - In a poll released yesterday, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranked Texas Tech athletes Borut Martincevic and Zana Zlebnik among the top 100 collegiate tennis players in the nation entering the 1999-2000 seaon.

Martincevic, a junior from Maribor, Slovenia, was ranked No. 51 in the ITA pre-season ranking poll. Martincevic was the top singles player last year for the Red Raider men's team that made a fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. He finished the spring season with a record of 13-9 and a final season ranking of No. 86 in the country.

"It's good to see Borut up there," said men's tennis coach Tim Siegel. "Last year he was a good player for us and we're excited about this season."

For the women, Zana Zlebnik, a junior from Maribor, Slovenia, entered the rankings at No. 94. In 1998 Zlebnik advanced to the second round of the NCAA individual tournament and was ranked as high as No. 40 in the country at one point. Last season Zlebnik suffered a nagging foot injury in the fall and her record during the 1999 season was 7-15.

"Zana will be a big surprise to people in the Big 12 this year," said women's coach Virginia Brown. "She's got great talent and I think she's really motivated and focused this year."

TTU