2012 ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championship Begins Friday in Charlottesville
The field of 16 is set for the 2012 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Women’s Team Indoor Championship. The University of Virginia will serve as the host of the 25th annual Championship at The Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Virginia.
A total of 12 out of the 15 No. 1 seeds participating in the fourth annual ITA Kick-Off Weekend were able to advance to Charlottesville. Baylor, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, Northwestern, Tennessee, and UCLA were all able to successfully defend their home turf; Arizona State, Florida State, and Vanderbilt were not as fortunate. Ole Miss, Texas, and USC pulled off road upsets to earn the right to compete for the prestigious national title. Click here for the complete draw.
Below is an in-depth look at the 16 teams vying for the 2012 ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championship crown.
Baylor: The Baylor Bears enter the event ranked No. 5 in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. The Bears have already played 10 dual matches on the young season, posting a 9-1 record. Baylor had won nine in a row to begin the season before falling to the top-ranked Florida Gators 5-2 at home in its most recent match. The Bears dropped the doubles point to the Gators, but fought hard in singles, taking five of the six matches to three sets and claiming two of them. Baylor does own wins over No. 44 TCU and No. 75 Wyoming. Diana Nakic is the only singles player for the Bears to appear in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Rankings, coming in at No. 14 in the nation. Baylor also has one doubles pair in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Doubles Rankings, No. 47 Jordaan Sanford and Nicole Kosakowski. The Bears will face the Tennessee Lady Vols in the first round.
Cal: The Cal Golden Bears are currently ranked No. 7 in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. Cal stands at 4-0 on the season, with all four matches coming against ranked opponents. The Golden Bears opened the season with a victory over No. 73 Santa Clara, then knocked off No. 38 UNLV and No. 28 Washington as part of 2012 ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Cal’s latest match was a 6-1 defeat of No. 54 San Diego State. The Golden Bears have an impressive six players ranked in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Rankings, led by No. 5 senior Jana Juricova. The other five players nationally ranked are Zsofi Susanyi (No. 21), Tayler Davis (No. 32), Cecilia Estlander (No. 64), Anett Schutting (No. 74), and Annie Goransson (No. 81). None of Cal’s doubles duos received a national ranking in the latest Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings poll. Cal will be up against the Miami Hurricanes in its first match.
Clemson: The Clemson Tigers are ranked No. 7 in the latest Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. Clemson is 6-0 so far this season, with three of those wins being recorded over ranked teams. After a season-opening win over No. 74 FIU, the Tigers also defeated No. 70 College of Charleston and No. 48 Purdue. Clemson has three singles players in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Rankings: No. 58 Klara Vyskocilova, No. 65 Keri Wong, and No. 67 Nelly Ciolkowski. The Tigers also have a doubles team ranked in the top 10 nationally in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Doubles Rankings, No. 8 Josipa Bek and Keri Wong; unfortunately for Clemson, Bek has been withdrawn from the event due to injury. Clemson faces the Michigan Wolverines in the first round of play.
Duke: The Duke Blue Devils come into the tournament as the No. 3 team in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. Duke is undefeated on the season at 5-0, beating four ranked teams so far. The Blue Devils have picked up wins over No. 50 William & Mary, No. 63 Illinois, and No. 70 College of Charleston, but their latest victory was the most impressive to date, defeating No. 12 Northwestern 5-0 in Durham. Duke currently has six players in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Rankings, including freshman Beatrice Capra at No. 7 nationally. The five other players with a national ranking are Monica Turewicz (No. 35), Hanna Mar (No. 38), Mary Clayton (No. 66), Annie Mulholland (No. 97), and Rachel Kahan (No. 118). The Blue Devils also feature two doubles pairs in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Doubles Rankings, with Capra and Ester Goldfeld at No. 7, along with Mulholland and Mar at No. 46. Duke is set to take on the Ole Miss Rebels in its first match.
Georgia: The Georgia Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 6 in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. Georgia has five wins over ranked opponents this season, including a 4-3 road win over arch rival No. 13 Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs have also beaten No. 53 Kansas State, No. 72 Missouri, and No. 74 FIU (twice). Four singles players for Georgia have a national ranking in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Rankings. Senior Chelsey Gullickson is No. 2 in the nation, followed by Maho Kowase (No. 24), Lauren Herring (No. 52), and Kate Fuller (No. 56). Three Bulldog doubles duos have also earned a national ranking in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Doubles Rankings, although two of them include Gullickson, who is ranked No. 2 with Nadja Gilchrist and No. 13 with Lilly Kimbell. Fuller and Herring are ranked No. 60 in the latest Campbell/ITA poll. Georgia will face the Texas Longhorns in the first round.
Georgia Tech: The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets come into the tournament ranked No. 13 in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings with a 4-1 record. Georgia Tech’s four wins have all come against ranked teams, including beating No. 26 South Carolina and No. 47 Georgia State in ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The Yellow Jackets have also defeated No. 51 Princeton and No. 59 Memphis. Two Georgia Tech players are currently ranked in Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Rankings: Jillian O’Neill (No. 45) and Christina Ngo (No. 106). The Yellow Jackets also have one ranked doubles pair by the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings in No. 33 Caroline Lilley and Jasmine Minor. Georgia Tech will go up against the UCLA Bruins in its first round match.
Miami: The Miami Hurricanes are currently ranked No. 11 in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. Miami has only played two dual matches so far this season. As part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, Miami beat No. 45 South Florida and No. 66 Cal State Northridge to advance to Charlottesville. The Hurricanes feature two singles players in the top 40 of the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Rankings: Anna Bartenstein (No. 15) and Gabriela Mejia (No. 39). Miami does not have a doubles pair ranked in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Doubles Rankings. The Hurricanes will face the Cal Golden Bears in the first round.
Michigan: The Michigan Wolverines enter the tournament ranked No. 10 in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. Michigan is 4-1 on the season so far, beating a ranked team three times this season. The Wolverines defeated No. 41 Maryland and No. 25 Yale as part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Last weekend Michigan got a win over No. 18 Vanderbilt, but dropped a match for the first time on the season against No. 17 Tennessee. The Wolverines have four nationally-ranked singles players by the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Rankings: No. 36 Emina Bektas, No. 46 Brooke Bolender, No. 53 Sam Crister, and No. 113 Mimi Nguyen. Bektas and Bolender have also earned a national ranking in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Doubles Rankings, currently sitting at No. 24. Michigan is set to play Clemson in its opening match.
North Carolina: The North Carolina Tar Heels are currently ranked No. 8 in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. North Carolina has lost two matches this season, falling to both No. 12 Northwestern and No. 14 Texas 4-3. The Tar Heels also have five wins, including defeats of No. 17 Tennessee, No. 43 Brown, and No. 62 Marshall. North Carolina boasts three singles players with a currently in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Rankings, including Lauren McHale, who is ranked at No. 16. Zoe De Bruycker (No. 44) and Caroline Price (No. 55) are the other two ranked Tar Heels. Two North Carolina doubles pairs have also earned a national ranking in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Doubles Rankings, with De Bruycker and Laura Slater at No. 43, along with Haley Hemm and McHale at No. 48. The Tar Heels will take on the USC Trojans in the first round.
Northwestern: The Northwestern Wildcats enter as the No. 12 team in the national Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. Northwestern’s record is 4-1, with all five matches coming against ranked opponents. The Wildcats defeated No. 8 North Carolina, No. 18 Vanderbilt, No. 29 Nebraska, and No. 58 Dartmouth; Duke beat Northwestern 5-0 in Durham. The Wildcats feature two singles players in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Rankings: No. 26 Kate Turvy and No. 86 Brittany Wowchuk. Northwestern also has one of the best doubles teams in the nation in Nida Hamilton and Linda Abu Mushrefova, ranked No. 6 in the latest Campbell/ITA College Tennis Doubles Rankings. The Wildcats are set to play host team Virginia in its opening match.
Ole Miss: The Ole Miss Rebels come into the tournament ranked No. 23 in the latest Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. Ole Miss has a 4-1 record, with two wins coming against ranked teams. The Rebels pulled off two upsets in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend to advance to Charlottesville, defeating No. 21 Florida State and No. 30 Texas A&M 4-3; Ole Miss was ranked No. 37 in the Campbell/ITA rankings at the time of those wins. The Rebel Netters did drop their most recent match, falling 4-3 to No. 42 Texas Tech. Two Ole Miss players are ranked nationally in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles poll: No. 12 Kristi Boxx and No. 54 Caroline Price. Boxx is also ranked No. 4 in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Doubles Rankings with Abby Guthrie. The Rebels will face the Duke Blue Devils in the first round.
Tennessee: The Tennessee Lady Vols are currently No. 17 in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. Tennessee has a record of 4-2 so far this season, with all six matches coming against ranked competition. The Lady Vols own victories over No. 10 Michigan, No. 20 Tulsa, No. 24 Notre Dame, and No. 64 UC Davis; Tennessee has been beaten by No. 8 North Carolina and No. 9 Virginia. The Lady Vols have three singles players in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Rankings, led by No. 24 Natalie Pluskota, while Brynn Boren is ranked No. 27 and Kata Szekely is ranked No. 59. Pluskota and Szekely are also ranked No. 9 in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Doubles Rankings; Boren and partner Sarah Toti are No. 18. Tennessee is set to play the Baylor Bears on the first day of play.
Texas: The Texas Longhorns come into the tournament ranked No. 14 in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. Texas has played just four matches so far this season, but all four have been against ranked teams. The Longhorns beat No. 8 North Carolina to begin the season, but fell to No. 9 Virginia the next day. Texas was able to bounce back during ITA Kick-Off Weekend, defeating No. 18 Vanderbilt and No. 22 Alabama to advance to Charlottesville. The Longhorns have two players in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles rankings: Aeriel Ellis (No. 47) and Noel Scott (No. 119). Texas does not have a doubles pair with a Campbell/ITA Doubles Ranking. The Longhorns will face the Georgia Bulldogs in the first round.
UCLA: The UCLA Bruins are currently No. 4 in the latest Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. UCLA has a 5-0 record on the season, defeating four ranked opponents. The Bruins have wins over No. 34 Saint Mary’s, No. 46 Cal Poly, No. 52 Utah, and No. 56 UC Irvine. UCLA boasts five players with a national Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Ranking, led by freshman Robin Anderson at No. 8. The four other ranked players are McCall Jones (No. 62), Pamela Montez (No. 70), Courtney Dolehide (No. 83), and Kaitlin Ray (No. 112). The Bruins also have two doubles pairs ranked nationally in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Doubles poll, as freshmen Anderson and Skylar Morton are currently No. 12, while Montez and Dolehide sit at No. 23. UCLA is set to play the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in its first match.
USC: The USC Trojans come into the week ranked No. 16 in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. USC has a 5-0 record, with all five wins coming over ranked teams. The Trojans have beaten No. 19 Arizona State, No. 27 Pepperdine, No. 34 Saint Mary’s, No. 49 Sacramento State, and No. 56 UC Irvine. USC has four singles player ranked in the top 100 of the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Rankings, including freshman No. 18 Sabrina Santamaria and freshman No. 19 Zoe Scandalis. The other players nationally-ranked are Danielle Lao (No. 42), and Kaitlyn Christian (No. 99). Santamaria and Christian are also ranked third in the nation in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Doubles Rankings after claiming the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships women’s doubles title. The Women of Troy will face the North Carolina Tar Heels in the first round.
Virginia: The Virginia Cavaliers are currently the No. 9 team in the nation in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. Virginia is 5-0 on the season, already claiming wins over No. 14 Texas and No. 17 Tennessee. The Cavaliers have also beaten No. 55 Boston College and No. 61 Virginia Tech. A total of six Virginia players appear in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Singles Rankings: Emily Fraser (No. 29), Lindsey Hardenbergh (No. 30), Erin Vierra (No. 75), Maria Fuccillo (No. 76), Hana Tomljanovic (No. 85), and Caryssa Peretz (No. 89). The Cavaliers also have two doubles pairs in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Doubles poll, with Fuccillo and Li Xi at No. 36, while Fraser and Tomljanovic are ranked No. 54. Virginia is set to play the Northwestern Wildcats in its opening match.
The ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championship will be held at the sports facility of The Boar’s Head, recognized as a top 50 tennis resort in the United Stated by Tennis Magazine. The Boar’s Head was also named the 2008 Private Facility of the Year by Racquet Sports Industry Magazine, while also receiving recognition from TennisResorts.com as one of the top 75 tennis resorts in the world. The facility contains a total of 26 courts: 10 Har-Tru outdoor courts, four outdoor hard courts, and 12 state-of-the-art DecoTurf indoor courts.
