Sites: Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, California (MD and Qualifying) 1250 Capri Drive, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Pepperdine (Prequalifying) Directions to campus
Main Draw: Singles & Doubles, Riviera Tennis Club, Thursday through Sunday, October 2-5, 2008
Qualifying: Singles & Doubles, Riviera Tennis Club, Tuesday & Wednesday, Sept. 30-Oct. 1
Prequalifying: Singles & Doubles, Pepperdine, Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 27-28
Draw Sizes: Main Draw - 32 Singles Players; 16 Doubles Teams (Consolation for 1st round losers)
Qualifying - 64 Singles Players; 32 Doubles Teams (8 singles/4 doubles advance) (Consolation for 1st round losers)
Prequalifying – 64 Singles Players; 32 Doubles Teams (8 singles/4 doubles advance)
Note: Draws are released the afternoon prior to each draw There are selections for PQ – entry is not automatic
Wilson Extra Duty balls will be used. Doubles will be best 2-out-of 3 sets in the Main Draw Semifinals and Final (All other draws/rounds will continue to be 8-game sets)
ITA Staff Contact: Please contact the ITA staff for all questions prior to the start of the tournament.
Jen Evans: Office & Cell phone: 609-375-6520 Fax: 609-497-9586
Jason Berney: Office & Cell phone: 609-497-6921 Fax: 609-497-9586
Entry Information and Selection Dates: For selection, each coach must fill out the entry form on the ITA website by Aug. 14th (use appropriate Online ITA Entry Blank which available on the ITA web site). Late entries will not be accepted. ITA Regional Committees are responsible for making regional selections. At-large selections will be made and announced by the National Tournament Committee on August 29th and available on the ITA web site, www.itatennis.com(by 5 p.m. ET). Check ITA web site for selection criteria details.
Withdrawing Players: A player whose status is “questionable” should not be entered into the tournament and a player who is not eligible by NCAA, conference or university standards cannot be entered into the tournament. A letter from the team doctor must accompany all withdrawals after September 19th to be classified as “excusable.” All materials must be faxed or email to Jen Evans’s attention at 609-497-9586 or jevans@itatennis.com. Withdrawals that are deemed “inexcusable” are subject to penalties. Doubles Withdrawal Policy – If one half of a doubles team must withdraw the selection committee will review the new team and determine if they can remain in the draw they were initially selected for.
(New) Entry Fees: Will now be paid Online through the ITA website after selections are announced. Entry fees must now be paid for all players, in all draws (including main draw). The entry fees this year: $40/singles and $50/doubles team. The online payment center will be available the week of Sept. 15. Please make all checks out to the ITA.
Hotel Accommodations:
Hotel Angelino Los Angeles (Ideal for Qualifying & Main Draw)
$169/night (includes parking) Group Name: ITA Riviera Women's Tennis Championship
170 N. Church Lane
Los Angeles , California 90049
Phone: 310-476-6411
Block closes on September 12
Approx 4 miles from Riviera / Approx. 24 miles from Pepperdine
Warner Marriott Center (Ideal for PQ)
$99/night
Call Caroline Birch directly at 818-227-6118 to obtain Pepperdine Tennis Rate
21850 Oxnard Street
Woodland Hills, California 91367
Approx. 15 minutes from Pepperdine
Player Housing Information: Main Draw & Qualifying ONLY: Private Housing will be available for all main draw and qualifying tournament players at the homes of Riviera members. The form can be downloaded here.
Coaches Housing at the Riviera: The rate for this year is $175. Call Kurt Wohlgemuth at 310-566-5331.
Practice courts: Pre-Qualifying: Please contact Scott Doerner at (310)880-1340 to reserve practice courts at Pepperdine. Practice times at Riviera can be booked in advance by calling or emailing Pam Austin (310-454-6162 and paustin@rccla.com) and reserving times beginning on Fri. Sept. 26. Times are only “reserved” once she confirms it. (Any coach that wants to get practice times before Mon. Oct. 6 if they have a player play the CO AM.
Players’ attire at the Riviera Club: The club has strict attire requirements that must be followed and that will be strictly enforced. Such clothing items as women’s tops showing the midriff are prohibited. On court for matches or practice: clothes made for tennis, no "Hanes" type t-shirts. No denim whatsoever at any time in the Country Club clubhouse
Main Draw Coaches Meeting Information: Wednesday, October 1st at 6:00pm at the Riviera Country Club
Banquet Information:Riviera Country Club on Wednesday evening, October 1st, immediately following the Coaches Meeting.
CO/AM: Players are invited to take part in a CO/AM tennis event held at the Riviera Country Club on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2-4 pm. There will be complimentary food and drinks served, and participants will receive a gift bag. This event serves as a thank you to the tournament committee for all the work they put into this event. To RSVP or receive additional information, please contact Pam Austin at 310-454-6162.
On-Site Tournament Chair: Sherri Stephens, University of San Diego
On Site Tournament Directors: (Riviera) Pam Austin, Phone: 310-454-6162.
SELECTION INFORMATION
Selection Process
The ITA National Ranking & Tournament Committee, consisting of the 8 region chairs, the ITA Operating Committee Chair and the Assistant ITA Operating Committee Chair, is responsible for all selections for the championships.
At-Large Selection Criteria
- Main Draw - In order of the ITA preseason national singles and doubles rankings. Returning ITA All-Americans are automatic.
- Qualifying - In order of the ITA preseason national singles and doubles rankings.
- Prequalifying – In order of ITA preseason national singles and doubles rankings. If ranking list is exhausted the committee considers: a player’s/doubles teams overall results from the previous season; position on and ranking of team; regional ranking; and outstanding junior accomplishments (for freshmen). Freshmen are only eligible for PQ (in singles/can be in Q or MD doubles if selected/can receive wild card into Qual of MD singles).
- Regional Selections – Determined by national (not regional rankings). In doubles, a regional committee can put forth a returning intact team with a top 5 regional ranking from the previous season in place of a new team with a higher preseason national ranking. If there are not players in the national rankings to select, a region must select representatives in order of final regional rankings from the previous season. If there are not players in the regional rankings to select then it is a regional committee selection based on a player’s overall results from the previous season. If a player transfers into a region with a national ranking higher than returning regional players, then that player must be considered as a regional representative.
MAIN DRAW Oct 2-5
32-player singles
* 24 at-large (and wild card) selections
* 8 players from the Qualifying tournament
Automatic entry:
* Returning Champion
* ITA National Summer Championships Champion
* Returning ITA All-Americans (from 2008 season)
* Regional Representation (1 per region).
16-team doubles
* 12 at-large (and wild card) selections
* 4 teams from the Qualifying tournament
Automatic entry:
Returning Champions
* ITA National Summer Championships Champions (if from same school)
* Regional Representation (1 per region)
* Returning ITA All-Americans (from 2008 season; must be intact)
Note: If at-large and wild card selections exceed 12 teams, then the lowest ranked returning All-American team may become the No. 1 alternate.
QUALFYING Sept. 30-Oct. 1
64-player singles (must win 3 matches to advance to MD)
* 56 at-large (and wild card) selections
* 8 players from the Prequalifying tournament
Automatic entry
* ITA National Summer Championships Finalist
* Regional Representation (4 per region)
32-team doubles (must win 3 matches to advance to MD)
* 24 at-large (and wild card) selections
* 8 teams from the Prequalifying tournament
Automatic entry:
* ITA National Summer Championships Finalist (if from same school)
* Regional Representation (2 per region)
PREQUALIFYING Sept. 27-28
64-player singles (must win 3 matches to advance to Q)
* 64 at-large (and wild card) selections
Automatic entry:
* Regional Representation (4 per region)
32-team doubles (must win 3 matches to advance to Q)
* 32 at-large (and wild card) selections
Automatic entry:
* Regional Representation (4 per region)
Note: Entries for the PQ typically far exceed the number of spots available.
2008 Schedule of Play
Prequalifying (at Pepperdine)
Sat. Sept. 27 - 1st and 2nd Round Singles/1st Round Doubles
Sun. Sept. 28 - 3rd Round Singles/2nd and 3rd Round Doubles
Qualifying
Tues., Sept. 30 - 1st and 2nd Round Singles/1st Round Doubles
Wed., Oct. 1 - 3rd Round Singles/2nd and 3rd Round Doubles
Main Draw
Thurs. Oct. 2 - 1st Round Singles/1st Round Doubles
Fri. Oct. 3 - 2nd and QF Singles/QF Doubles
Sat. Oct. 4 - SF Singles and Doubles
Sun, Oct. 5 - Championship Matches
Note: There are full consolation draws for first round losers in the Qualifying and Main draws.
Alternate List Policy & Lucky Losers
The alternate list is eliminated once play begins in a prior draw - the Qualifying alternate list is void once PQ play starts; the MD alternate list is void once Qualifying begins. Lucky losers are selected into the Qual and MD in order of the highest seeds who lose in the final qualifying rounds. Once the seeds are exhausted the remaining LLs are determined by random draw.
Wild Card Distribution
The Riviera Club receives a wild card into each draw. An ITA wild card can be given for any reason, with the primary ones for an outstanding freshman or a player who missed a significant portion of the previous season due to injury. The selection committee can also decide not to use the ITA wild card in which case the spot would be filled by an “at-large”candidate.
Error Slots
The selection committee reserves the right to save 1 at-large spot in each draw to use in case of administrative error the week of the tournament. If these spots are not filled after the tournament has begun they will be awarded to a lucky loser.
Protest Procedure
A coach can officially protest a player’s selection or alternate list placement by September 3 for the selection committee to review.
Format
Best two-out-of-three sets in singles for all draws. Doubles consist of one, 8-game set in all draws with the exception of the Main Draw semifinals and final, which will be best two-out-of-three sets
Ball & Ball Change
Wilson Extra Duty ball. The ball change is 1 can per set in singles and 4 balls in doubles.
Draw Making Procedures
A player/doubles team cannot play an opponent from its same region in the first round.
When a draw involves players or doubles teams from the same school, such entries shall be separated as far out as possible, placed in separate halves, quarters or eighths as evenly as possible, depending on the number of entries from that school or university. The same procedure shall be used when a school has multiple seeds. The top 2 seeds from a school shall be in separate halves, a third seeded player in the same half with the second seeded player and so on.
Seeding is as follows: Main Draw - (Singles) No. 1-8 in order; (Doubles) No. 1-4 in order; Qualifying - (Singles) No. 1-8 in order, followed by 9-16 in alpha; (Doubles) - No. 1-8 in order; Prequalifying - (Singles) No. 1-8 in order, followed by Nos. 9-16 alpha; (Doubles) - No. 1-4 in order, followed by 5-8 alpha. Seeding is directly off of preseason rankings. When ranking list is exhausted the remaining seeds are determined by the selection committee. Note that Main Draw consolation singles and doubles are re-seeded and re-draws.
Tournament Referee: Jane Goodman
ITA Selection Committee Members & Games Committee:
Chair – Sheila McInerney, Arizona State
East – Bob Dallis, Dartmouth
Southeast - Chad Skorupka, Wake Forest
South – Jenny Mainz, Alabama
Central – Chris Young, Wichita State
Midwest – Claire Pollard, Northwestern
Southwest – Jefferson Hammond, TCU
Northwest – Amanda Augustus, California
West – Mark Henry, UC-Riverside
Note: additional Games Committee members to be added for on-site decisions.