The junior doubles tandem of Jeffrey Schorsch (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) and Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) jumped 22 spots in the first Men's Doubles Rankings of 2016 as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) on Tuesday afternoon.
Valpo's all-time winningest doubles pair went 10-4 this past fall, boosting its ranking from #55 to #33 in the process. Schorsch and Emhardt carved out a 5-0 run in doubles play of the ITA Midwest Regionals before succumbing to Notre Dame's Alex Lawson and Quentin Monaghan in a tightly contested 6-1, 7-5 title match. In addition to garnering the 33rd spot in the nation, Schorsch and Emhardt received the #4 ranking in the Midwest Region.
The prognosticators also expect Schorsch to assemble another stellar season in singles play. Schorsch, who needs just six singles victories to become Valpo's all-time leader in that department, was voted 14th in the Midwest Region.
The Crusaders open their spring season Friday, January 22nd at #6 Illinois. Match time is slated for 10 am CT at the Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign.