ITA South Regional
10/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
ITA South Regional Championships
October 22-25, 2004
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The University of Alabama will host the Women's Wilson/ITA South Regional Championships beginning Friday, October 22 and running through Monday, October 25.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for us to host such a top flight event," said Alabama head coach Jenny Mainz. "We're excited about what this says about our commitment to tennis."
The singles finalists and doubles champion from the prestigious event will be rewarded with invitations to the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships at the University of Michigan, to be held November 4-7. The Indoor Championships are the second of three national championship events held during the season.
Including seven Alabama players participating in the Wilson/ITA South Regional, players representing 21 schools from four states will gather in Tuscaloosa for the event. The Championships will also feature eight of the nation's top 50 collegiate singles players as well as several of the nation's premier doubles teams.
Three of the top four seeds in the singles draw are all from the Southeastern Conference. However, Megan Bradley of Miami is the Championship's top seeded player and ranked second nationally. She enters the tournament at 3-1 on the season and finished the 2003-04 season with a 22-2 record. The first of Alabama's two seeded players is Robin Stephenson. She is the No. 2 seed and is currently ranked No. 16 by the ITA. Her ranking is the highest individual ranking in Alabama history and she enters having won five of her eight matches this fall. In 2004, Stephenson became the first Alabama player to combine for 40 wins in singles and doubles in a single season.
Georgia's Shadisha Robinson, just a sophomore, is seeded third. She enters with a 4-1 record. Last year she climbed as high as No. 9 in the ITA rankings and is currently No. 23. Ashley Bentley of Alabama, the 49th ranked player in the nation is the No. 9 seed. Bentley captured the Roberta Alison Fall Classic Championship in September.
The doubles draw also features some of the top talent in the nation. Alabama's doubles team of Bentley and Stephenson, ranked sixth by the ITA, are the highest ranked team in the field and are the No. 1 seed. Last season the duo was 23-8.
The ITA South Regional is one of 17 Division I ITA Regional Championships being held across the country during the final two weeks in October. More than 7,000 athletes and 600 schools participate annually in ITA Regional and National Intercollegiate Championships.
This weekend's event will be the second tournament held at Alabama's new tennis facility and the first ITA Championship event hosted there. This is also the first time that Alabama has hosted the ITA Regional in 10 years.
"This is a great chance for us to show off what we feel is one of the top facilities in the nation," said Mainz. "It's also an advantage for us to be able to play at home, in front of our supporters in a first class tournament such as this. We have such an active community when it comes to tennis in Tuscaloosa and this really shows our commitment to the sport."
Play will begin Friday morning at 8 a.m. cst. There will be an "A" and "B" draw for both singles and doubles. The seedings for the Wilson/ITA South Regional Championships are listed below.
"A" Singles:
1. Megan Bradley—Miami
2. Robin Stephenson—Alabama
3. Shadisha Robinson—Georgia
4. Chloe Carlotti—Mississippi
5. Mihaela Moldovan—FSU
6. Zsuzsanna Fodor—MSU
7. Kristi Miller—GA Tech
8. Ashley Bentley—Alabama
9. Kelly Anderson—GA Tech
10. Natalie Frazier—Georgia
11. Lyndsay Shosho—GA Tech
12. Ilona Somers—Mississippi
13. Staci Stevens—Miami
14. Gabriela Duch—South Florida
15. Frangulyan—Florida
16. Melissa Applebaum—Miami
"A" Doubles:
1. Bentley/Stephenson—Alabama
2. Franguylan/Benik—Florida
3. Carlotti/Tomatis—Mississippi
4. Bradley/Banada—Miami
5. Miller/Silverio—GA Tech
6. Somers/Renaudin—Mississippi
7. Robinson/Frazier—Georgia
8. Anderson/Shosho—GA Tech
"B" Singles:
1. Ana Rupic—South Alabama
2. Magdi Rekasi—MSU
3. Tapiwa Marobela—FSU
4. Dominica Nemcovicava—South Alabama
5. Klara Jarova—South Alabama
6. Renee Joseph—MSU
7. Fountain—FIU
8. Nancy Peaden—Auburn
9. Sarah Suitor—Auburn
10. Amber Tantee—FSU
"B" Doubles:
1. Stauss/Van Londen—GA Tech
2. Rudman/Rudman—MSU
3. Rupie/Stanie—South Alabama
4. Tantee/Marobela—FSU
5. Kolendo/Obando—South Florida
6. Kugakolova/Kokoulina—MSU
7. Mihailescu/Tirapelli—FSU
