Rhyne Williams all set playing in college

Rhyne Williams doesn't second-guess the decision he made last summer to play tennis for Tennessee instead of turning professional.

The Knoxville native is having too much fun enjoying the ride with the No. 2-ranked Vols to think about what it might be like on the pro tour.

"It's great," Williams said after the Vols beat LSU 7-0 Sunday afternoon at the UT Varsity Courts. "I feel like I'm around a great group of guys. I really enjoy being around them. I really enjoy the coaching staff as well. It's just a lot of fun. We have a lot of fun together no matter what we're doing."

UT (16-1) improved to 5-0 in the SEC for the first time since the 1990 team went 34-1 and lost to Stanford in the NCAA championship.

No. 55 LSU (4-8, 2-3 SEC) lost all six singles matches in straight sets.

"We're proud of what these guys are doing on a daily basis," UT coach Sam Winterbotham said, "but we're not going to get carried away with ourselves. We haven't won anything yet."

Williams, who beat Stefan Szacinski 6-3, 6-1, has compiled a 26-6 singles record and No. 44 national ranking since joining the Vols in the fall. He plays No. 3 singles in the Vols' lineup behind No. 2-nationally-ranked John-Patrick Smith and No. 32 Boris Conkic.

Winterbotham bolstered an already strong recruiting class when freshman Tennys Sandren of Gallatin - the nation's No. 1 recruit - opted not to turn pro and joined the Vols in January. Sandgren, who plays No. 4 singles, is 12-4 this year.

Williams said the college-or-pro decision wasn't easy.

"It was really up in the air," Williams said. "I felt I needed to come to college and get a few years of college tennis and try to mature and get stronger and just work on my game here. I feel like I've been doing that and I feel I'm getting better as a player."

Williams said his college choice was simple. His grandfather, Mike DePalmer Sr., coached the Vols from 1981-94 and has the most wins in program history (299).

"I love Tennessee so much and I couldn't see myself going anywhere else," Williams said. "It helps that we have one of the best coaching staffs in the country and obviously one of the best teams in the country as well. I'm just happy I could help out."

Williams' sister, Caitlyn, 16, is one of the nation's top recruits. Caitlyn is playing up in age division and has broken into the world's top 100 in the 18-unders.

Rhyne doesn't think his sister is sold on going straight to the pros.

"I think she's definitely thinking about college tennis," Rhyne said. "I really haven't spoken to her but I think it would be hard for her to go anywhere but Tennessee. She's more of a (UT) fan than I am."

Dave Link is a freelance contributor..