Story By: Brayden George and Wesley Holsomback

The University of Montevallo men’s and women’s tennis teams continue to face the looming threat of elimination following a delayed vote at the February UM Board of Trustees’ meeting.

The tennis teams appeared on the same agenda item as the UM swimming teams, which put both up for elimination after a “total review of all athletic teams,” according to UM Athletic Director Mark Richard.

“After a thorough review by the University’s Priority Action Team, Athletics Department, and Executive Cabinet, it was found that due to the roster size and discount rate for tennis student-athletes, the tennis programs operate in an annual deficit disproportionate to other programs in the department.”

Sophia Baillos, a member of the women’s tennis team expressed her frustration with the boards pending decision.

“We know that obviously, not saying we’re not valued, but to them, we didn’t have enough value to keep us
around or try to cut budget elsewhere.”

The UM Board of Trustees will vote again on the future of the teams at their next meeting on Friday, May 1.

However, according to Richard, “at this time the University has no plans to reinstate the programs.”

This is a developing story. We’ll post updates as they become available.