WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - William and Mary women's tennis juniors Maria Belaya and Jeltje Loomans earned a lofty national ranking in the first Campbell's Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Rankings released on Thursday evening. The Green and Gold duo was ranked No. 3 nationally in the initial poll prior to the start of the 2013 dual match campaign.

The Tribe duo posted a 9-1 fall record with its lone setback coming to current No. 2 ranked Alexa Guarachi and Mary Anne Macfarlane of Alabama in the quarterfinals of the ITA National Indoor Championship. Included among Belaya and Loomans' victories on the fall were wins over teams ranked No. 5, No. 10, No. 11 and No. 37 nationally in the standings released on Jan. 3.

It marks the highest national ranking for a Tribe doubles teams since Megan Moutlon-Levy, who is currently competing on the women's professional tennis circuit and ranking among the top 100 world-wide in doubles, and Katarina Zoricic were ranked No. 1 during the 2007 fall campaign. Belaya and Loomans are 29-7 over the last two seasons as a duo, including victories in 22 of their last 24 matches.

W&M will kick off the 2013 dual-match season with a doubleheader at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center on Tuesday, Jan. 15. The Tribe faces instate foe Richmond at 11 a.m., before hosting UMBC at 5 p.m.