Emory Women’s Tennis to Play at USTA/ITA Regional Championships

Draws

The Emory University women's tennis team will send its fall season into full swing this weekend, as the Eagles will partake in the 2010 USTA/ITA South Region Championships at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN.

The Eagles will look to take the next step forward during the 2010-11 season, after finishing second at the NCAA Division III Championships last year.  The Eagles also featured the second-place doubles team of current senior Lorne McManigle and junior Zahra Dawson, who will both be returning for the 2010-11 campaign.

Emory will also be returning two other members from their NCAA Tournament lineup last year in sophomore Jordan Wylie and senior Lindsay Reidenbach.  Wylie finished her freshman campaign with a 20-8 record in singles play, while Reidenbach was 21-5.  Juniors Laura Callava and Daniela Schechter will also be back for Emory in 2010.

Emory head coach Amy Bryant will also be welcoming in a talented group of newcomers, including freshmen Taylor Brandt, Gabrielle Clark, Brenna Kelly, Meghan Logun, Malavika Padmanabhan, and sophomore Division I-transfer Kelsey Grad.

The USTA/ITA Regional Championships will feature the top singles and doubles competition from all NCAA Division III women's tennis programs in the South Region.  The winners from the 64-player singles bracket and 32-team doubles bracket will advance to ITA Small College Nationals in Mobile, AL from October 14th-16th.

Emory will feature four seeded players in the singles bracket of the tournament, including the top-three overall seeds.  Clark will be the top-seeded player in the draw, followed by second-seeded Dawson and third-seeded McManigle.  Wylie will enter the tournament as the ninth seed, while Schechter, Grad, Kelly, Logun, Brandt and Padmanabhan will also be in the singles bracket, although unseeded.

In the doubles tournament, McManigle and Dawson will be the top-seeded team, and Clark and Kelly will be seeded sixth.  Other Emory pairings competing in the draw include Logun and Schechter, Padmanabhan and Wylie, and Grad and Reidenbach.

An Emory player has won the singles championship at the ITA Regionals in each of the last eight years, and 11 times overall since 1997.  The Eagles have come away with the doubles championship in each of the last three seasons, and nine times overall.  Lorne McManigle has won both the singles and doubles championships in each of the last two seasons, and has a chance to become the first Emory player to three-peat in either bracket.  Last season, Dawson earned the doubles championship with McManigle.

Play will begin on Friday, October 1st at 9:00 AM EST with the first round of doubles play, followed by two rounds of singles action.  Play will continue throughout the day on Saturday, and the championship matches will be played on Sunday.