A year after their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance and coming off strong showings at two fall tourneys, men’s tennis has earned some respect.

The Maroons are ranked 25th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s fall poll, released Tuesday. The team is ranked sixth in the Central Region, behind Gustavus Adolphus, Kalamazoo, DePauw, Wash U, and Carthage.

In individual rankings, fourth-year returning All-American Ward Bortz is ranked eighth in the Central for singles, and Bortz and second-year Sasha Deriy are ranked eighth in the region in doubles.

The team will begin its spring season January 28 with a home meet against Illinois–Springfield. The Maroons will contend with Emory (ranked third in Division III), Wash U (17th), Carnegie Mellon (22nd) and Rochester (27th) for the UAA title at the league championships April 21-3.