#3 Emory Women’s Tennis Set to Kick off the 2011 Spring Season against Georgia State

The Emory University women's tennis team will open up its 2011 spring season this week, as the third-ranked Eagles will host NCAA Division I Georgia State University on Wednesday, December 9^th at 3:00 PM.

After finishing the 2009-10 year second in the Nation, the Eagles will be returning a pair of all-Americans from last year's squad in junior Zahra Dawson and senior Lorne McManigle.  In the fall, Dawson won the singles bracket of the USTA/ITA Fall Regionals, eventually finishing sixth in the National tournament, and will open the spring as the second-ranked player in the Atlantic South Region.  McManigle, a former NCAA Division III Singles Champion and the 10^th-ranked player in the region, teamed with Dawson to win the doubles bracket of the USTA/ITA Regionals and finish fourth in the national draw, just a few months removed from the pair's second-place finish at the 2010 NCAA Division III Women's Doubles Championships.  McManigle and Dawson will open the spring as the top-ranked pairing in the region.

Also returning for Emory in 2010 will be a pair of all-UAA honorees in senior Lindsay Reidenbach and sophomore Jordan Wylie.  Reidenbach earned all-UAA first team honors for her fifth-singles performance last season, and will begin the season with a career .825 winning percentage in singles matches (47-10), the sixth-best mark in the program's history.  Wylie is coming off a 20-8 campaign during her freshman season, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the USTA/ITA Fall Regionals in October, leading to her being ranked eighth in the region to start the spring.  Junior Laura Callava, who has a career record of 13-3, will round out the Eagles' talented group of returners.

A number of newcomers also figure to make an impact in 2011 for Emory.  Freshman Gabrielle Clark advanced to the finals of the USTA/ITA Fall Regionals, and finished her first fall campaign with a 7-2 record.  She will open the spring as the region's third-ranked singles player, and is ranked fourth in doubles play, along with fellow freshman Brenna Kelley.  Sophomore transfer Kelsey Grad, who played her freshman campaign at Division I Lafayette College, rounds out Emory's group of regionally-ranked players, entering the spring seeded 15^th in the region.  Freshmen Taylor Brandt, Meghan Logun and Malavika Padmanabhan will add further depth to the Eagles' squad.

Head coach Amy Bryant will begin her 11^th season as the Eagles' helm with an overall record of 212-57, good for a .788 winning percentage.  She is assisted by two-time Regional Assistant Coach of the Year Meredith Vincent, now in her fifth year with the squad.

Georgia State currently stands at 3-0 this season, including wins over Georgia Perimeter College and Mercer University.  The Panthers will also play at Brenau University on Tuesday, before facing the Eagles on Wednesday. 

After kicking off their season against the Panthers, the Eagles will travel to Montgomery, AL for a pair of matches against Auburn University – Montgomery and Huntingdon College on February 13^th.  Later in the season, the Eagles will look to defend their title at the ITA Indoor National Championships in St. Peter, MN, from March 4^th – 6^th.  Emory will also play host for the Fab 10 Tournament from March 25^th – 31^st, welcoming in some of the top NCAA Division III women's tennis teams in the country to the Woodruff P.E. Center.

Championship season will begin for the Eagles on April 22^nd, as Emory will travel to Washington University in St. Louis, MO for the three-day 2011 UAA Championships.  Emory will then turn its attention to the NCAA Division III Championships, starting with the first three rounds from May 13^th – 15^th, and then the team championship rounds from May 24^th-26^th in Claremont, CA.  The NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships will be held from May 27^th – 29^th, also in Claremont, CA.