Tide's Bentley and Stephenson Begin NCAA Championship Monday
5/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
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Not since 1982 has Alabama sent two competitors to the Women's NCAA Singles Championships. That, however, will change Monday when juniors Robin Stephenson and Ashley Bentley both take to the courts to begin their quest for an individual national championship at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. Both are scheduled to play at 10 a.m. est. Monday.
Stephenson (27-12) will enter the Championships ranked sixth in the country, the highest ranking ever by an Alabama athlete. It's just one more accolade to add to her ever-growing resume. This will also be her second straight appearance at the Championships. This year she'll look to advance past the second round where she was eliminated a year ago. She'll square off against UCLA's Riza Zalameda in the first round. Zalameda is 27-11 on the season and is ranked 26th by the ITA.
With 27 wins on the season, 14 of which have come against the nation's top 100, Stephenson has earned one of just eight seeds in the Championships. She's won 11 of her last 14 matches, seven in a row and is arguably the hottest player in the country. And there's more good news for Stephenson. She already owns wins this season over SEC Player of the Year Aibika Kalsarieva of Kentucky and Florida's Jennifer Magley, both of whom are seeded above her.
Bentley (25-9), who was voted Team MVP by her teammates, on the other hand will be playing for the first time in the singles draw and will face Tulsa's Daniela Muscolino in the first round. Muscolino is 23-10 and ranked 79th by the ITA.
This may be Bentley's first appearance in the Championships, but she's no stranger to championship competition. In 2004 Bentley teamed with Stephenson at the NCAA Doubles Championship and two have played in the team Championships in each of the last three seasons. In NCAA Championship competition over the last three seasons Stephenson and Bentley have already combined for 10 wins.
There's no doubt that both Stephenson and Bentley will be well rested when play begins Monday and that could turn into a huge advantage the further they advance into the Championships. Alabama was eliminated from the NCAA Team Championships last Friday. Meanwhile, several competitors, including each of the other top seven seeds participated in the team championships this weekend. It's an advantage that neither would prefer, but an advantage nonetheless.
Draws and results will be available at www.georgiadogs.com. Play will begin Monday morning and run through Saturday, May 28.
