Bencheikh and Hiser Qualify for NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. –– Two Alabama women's tennis student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships at Michael & Anne Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Okla., May 20-25. Loudmilla Bencheikh will open competition in the singles championships on May 20, before joining her doubles partner, Anne Marie Hiser, for the doubles championships on May 21.

Bencheikh becomes the 15th all-time Crimson Tide player to be selected for the singles championships and fifth individual in program history to earn a selection at least twice during their career. For the first time since 2017, Alabama will send a paired team to the doubles draw.

Head Coach Jonatan Berhane's Comments

"I am happy for Anne Marie and Loudmilla qualifying for NCAA Doubles Championships. They are a very deserving doubles team and both have done a great job this year. Also exciting for Loudmilla to participate in the singles draw too. Roll Tide!"

A Look at the Tournament

Alabama's Loudmilla Bencheikh will compete at the NCAA Singles Championships and will join her doubles partner Anne Marie Hiser for the NCAA Doubles Championships, which runs May 20-25
The tournament will be held at the Michael & Anne Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Okla.
The singles championships will feature 64 athletes competing, while 32 teams will be featured in the doubles championships bracket with a champion crowned for both on May 25
All singles matches are the best-of-three sets with no-ad scoring and a seven-point tiebreaker at six-games-all will be used for all matches
All doubles matches are the best-of-three sets with a 10-point match tiebreaker played in lieu of a third set

Alabama at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships

Alabama will send two athletes to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships for the second time in the last three seasons
Including the appearance by Bencheikh, UA has sent 15 players to the women's NCAA singles draw with Alabama tallying a total of 24 berths at the event
Alabama qualified a doubles team for the first time since Erin Routliffe and Maddie Pothoff appeared in the tournament in 2017
Hiser and Bencheikh became the Tide's 15th and 16th student- athletes to be sent to the women's NCAA doubles draw with UA tallying a total of 16 selections at the event
The two become the first Alabama athletes to make the NCAA singles and doubles event under head coach Jonatan Berhane

Loudmilla Bencheikh and Anne Marie Hiser

Hiser and Bencheikh are currently rank No. 17 nationally according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's latest rankings and have held a national ranking in all bi-weekly polls since March of 2023
The duo earned their highest ITA Doubles ranking after being ranked seventh on March 19 of this year
The No. 7 national ranking marked the first time since 2015 Alabama had a doubles team ranked in the top-10
The two have played at the No. 1 spot in the doubles lineup for the team for all but two matches this season and collected 15 victories overall, including earning 12 of those wins during the spring
In the fall, Hiser and Bencheikh defeated Georgia's No. 1 doubles duo Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova, who currently rank No. 12 nationally

Loudmilla Bencheikh

Bencheikh currently ranks 60th in the latest ITA rankings and has held a national ranking since Nov. 15, 2023 with her highest position at No. 18
The senior led Alabama at the top of the lineup for all but five matches and secured 12 singles wins, including six at the No. 1 position
Defeated Wisconsin's then-No. 57 Maria Sholokhova during the Auburn Invite on Nov. 3, 2023
Named SEC Player of the Week after going 2-1 in the No. 1 spot for the Crimson Tide at the Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic

How to Follow

Links to live scoring and live video will be available at RollTide.com. Updates will be provided on the team's X account, @AlabamaWTN

Get the latest information on the team by following AlabamaWTN on X, Instagram, and Facebook.

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University of Alabama Athletics