Oct. 23, 2008
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech women’s tennis team will return to action for the first time in three weeks when it opens competition Friday at the Wilson/ITA South Region Championships on the University of Georgia campus at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
“The South Region Championships is a great opportunity for all our players,” head coach Bryan Shelton said. “This is one of the top three regions in the country and we will have a chance to play against some of the top players in the nation.”
The tournament, which runs Friday – Monday, will showcase players from 21 different schools around the South. A total of 14 players in the ITA Top 125 singles rankings are scheduled to play in the event along with four doubles teams ranked in the ITA Top 50. There will be two flights, an “A” and a “B,” which will have a 64-player singles draw and a 32-team doubles bracket. There will be a consolation draw for singles only. Finalists in each draw will earn a spot into the ITA National Indoor Championship field.
“For some of our player’s, this will be their first competition since our invitational back in the middle of September,” Shelton said. “They are all anxious to just get back out on the court and play.”
The draws for the ITA Southern Regional will be available Thursday evening and be posted on the Bulldog website at georgiadogs.com. Results will be updated daily on the website too.
The 2008 ITA Southern Regional field features the following schools: Alabama, Alabama-Birmingham, Auburn, Central Florida, Florida, Florida A&M, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi, Mississippi State, Samford, South Florida, Stetson and Troy.
The other seven Division I Women’s ITA Regionals this year are at Wake Forest (Southeast), Michigan State (Midwest), Utah (Central), TCU (Southwest), Stanford (Northwest), San Diego/San Diego State (Western) and Pennsylvania (East). Over the years, Georgia has played host to this event numerous times including most recently in 2007.
As the governing body of collegiate tennis the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded in 1956 and is based in Skillman, N.J., administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit presented by the USTA, and the ITA Rankings for men’s and women’s tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship. The official ITA website is www.itatennis.com.
– RamblinWreck.com –
