Tide Women's Tennis Prepares for Georgia Tech
5/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
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ATHENS, GA. — The 28th-ranked Alabama women's tennis team begins play in their fourth straight NCAA tournament Friday at 10 a.m. against the No. 40 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
The Crimson Tide (13-10, 5-6 SEC) is the No. 2 seed in the four-team region while Georgia Tech is the No. 3 seed. Top-seeded Georgia will face fourth-seeded Samford at 2 p.m. The winner of the two matches will square off Saturday at 5 p.m. for a trip to the Sweet 16. The NCAA Championships will be held in Athens from May 20-29. The team competition is from May 20-23, while the singles and doubles championships start on May 24.
"I feel fortunate that we're here," said head coach Jenny Mainz. "We've worked hard all year and played a lot of tough teams to be playing in May. The postseason is a new season and the tough teams we have played have helped us prepare for these kinds of matches."
Georgia Tech (11-10, 4-4 ACC) lost to No. 15 North Carolina in the opening round of the ACC Tournament on April 16, 4-1. The Tide lost to No. 3 Vanderbilt in the second round of the SEC Tournament on the same day, so both teams have had close to a month to rest and get ready for the tournament.
"The rest has been good for us," Mainz said. It has helped us regroup and has refreshed us. Everyone has had a chance to rest their injuries and they seem to have a renewed energy. I think you can use a break like that either in a good way or a bad way. We definitely used it in a positive way."
The NCAA tournament field is made up of 64 teams, with 16 regional sites around the country. The top 16 teams are seeded, and the remaining 48 are seeded within the region. Georgia is the No. 6 seed in the tournament.
PRACTICE PHOTOS:
Ashley Bentley
Mari Muller
Melissa Minor
Natalie McElveen and Nathalie Koppelle
Robin Stephenson and the coaches
Sonya Nikolic and Coach Jenny Mainz
2004 Alabama Crimson Tide
