GILBERT, Ariz. – Saint Joseph's men's tennis juniors Othman Bezzaz and Ernesto Ruy appeared in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I National Men's Doubles Rankings, released on Tuesday morning.
 
The pair is ranked 70th in the nation; it is the first time a Hawk doubles duo has earned a national ranking.  Bezzaz and Ruy are the highest-ranked doubles partners in the Atlantic 10 as well, outpacing a pair from Dayton that is ranked 79th.
 
Bezzaz, a native of Casablanca, Morocco, and Ruy, who hails from Atizapan de Zaragoza, Mexico, became the first Hawks to compete in the ITA Sectional Championships, reaching the quarterfinals of the event with a win over a duo from Clemson on November 6.  They earned their slot in the Sectional Championship via a semifinal appearance in the ITA Northeast Regional Championships in October.
 
The Hawk tennis teams are idle until January; the men's squad resumes play against Elon on January 10 before meeting the reigning national champions, Wake Forest, a day later.