GILBERT, Ariz. – History was made on Wednesday, March 11^th as the MGA women's tennis program entered the ITA rankings for the first time as a provisional NCAA Division II program. The women made their debut ranked 32^nd in the latest rankings propelled by their 4-1 victory over 39^th-ranked Auburn-Montgomery on March 6^th.

The Knights are the third highest Peach Belt Conference team in the rankings, behind No. 9-ranked North Georgia and No. 26-ranked Columbus State.

Under the leadership of long-time head coach Tom Bates, the Knights tennis programs are no stranger to national rankings by the ITA following years of success at the NAIA level including regular trips to the NAIA National Tournament.

During the 2025 season the Knights were ranked as high as No. 6 in the NAIA version of the ITA rankings while finishing the season at No. 9.

MGA is sitting at 4-2 on the young season with wins over Abraham Baldwin, Carson-Newman University, Young Harris College and Auburn Montgomery. They will next go to battle against No. 33-ranked Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida on Saturday, March 14^th before battling No. 19-ranked Lynn University on Sunday, March 15^th.

The objective of the ITA Rankings is to accurately reflect team and player performance occurring solely within sanctioned college tennis dual matches and tournaments and solely within one given academic season. The ITA Rankings Algorithm is based on an accumulation of win points and loss points, accounting for a win-loss record, the strength of schedule, and the depth/significance of wins and losses. As the season progresses, the value of each win and loss adjusts to reflect the most recent ranking of the opponent. The ITA rankings is for publicity purposes only and is not used in the selection process for the NCAA Division II postseason.