TUSCALOOSA ?? The University of Alabama women's tennis team will host the 2006 Wilson/ITA Fall South Regional Championships this week at the Alabama Tennis Center.
"We are thrilled to once again be hosting this prestigious ITA event," said Alabama head coach Jenny Mainz. "It is always nice to showcase our outstanding facility and tennis program. We take tremendous pride in welcoming 20 of the top teams in the South Region, including four SEC schools with Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Mississipi State participating. This is arguably one of the most competitive regions in the country, boasting some of the top singles players in the nation."
The tournament will begin on Thursday with the first two rounds of the main draw singles. It will run through Sunday when the finals for singles and doubles will take place. There are 20 teams that will have players competing in Tuscaloosa over the weekend. The draw features three players ranked among the top-25 in the country, including No. 2 Kristi Miller of Georgia Tech, No. 9 Diana Srebrovic of Florida and No. 21 Natalie Frazier of Georgia. Audra Cohen, the nation's top-ranked player is also in the region but will not be participating since she has already earned an automatic bid to the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. The regional champions will also automatically qualify for the National Indoor Championships which will be held Nov. 2-5.
"We have been talking about how this is one of the biggest tournaments of the fall," said senior Mari Muller. "We get to host it, which is huge. Playing at home is always an advantage. We know the courts, we know the weather, we get to sleep in our beds and we don't have to drive anywhere. We hosted it my sophomore year and we had all the great players and great teams come. We have a huge opportunity as everybody gets to play against some of the top players. We just need to play loose and have fun."
Muller is one of eight players who will represent the University of Alabama. Sofia Ayala, Nicole Briceno, Shelley Godwin and Muller will compete in the A bracket for singles while Paulina Bigos, Andrea Brenes, Bianca Svensson and Alice Tunaru will all be competing in the B draw for the Crimson Tide. Briceno leads the squad with a 6-1 record in singles this season. Brenes, Svensson and Tunaru have all recorded three wins while Bigos, Godwin and Muller have posted two victories. This will be the first competition of the fall for Ayala.
"Coming into regionals I have more confidence, but it is going to be harder because we have better players coming," said Briceno, a freshman from Pembroke Pines, Fla. "It is going to be tough competition but I feel I can do well in this tournament if I take it match-by-match like I did in San Diego. In San Diego I felt pretty confident. I just played point-by-point and match-by-match and didn't concentrate on the long run. I took my time, was focused and tried to get every ball back."
Alabama also will send three doubles teams into competition. In the A bracket, Brenes and Muller will team together. The duo has combined for a 3-3 record in doubles this fall. The Crimson Tide will have two pairings in the B doubles. Bigos and Briceno have posted a 2-1 record this fall while Godwin and Svensson will play together for the first time.
"Our team has been diligently working toward this regional championship and looking forward to playing at home," said Mainz. "We have gained invaluable match experience at the Roberta Alison and the San Diego State Invitational. We are beginning to play better doubles and making necessary adjustments in both singles and doubles. I have been pleased with the improvements we are making daily. The team is excited to go to battle in one of the toughest regional championships in the country."
The ITA South Regional Tournament information can be found on www.rolltide.com with updated results and brackets available through the weekend. Results will also be located at www.usta.com by entering a tournament ID of 703214406.
