Hoping to qualify for the National Indoor Championships in November, The University of Memphis women's tennis team and 20 teams across the region will compete during the USTA/ITA Ohio Valley Regions, an event hosted by the Tigers at the Racquet Club of Memphis.
"We're really excited to be hosting this event," said Lee Taylor Walker, women's tennis head coach. "The Racquet Club is one of the premiere tennis facilities in the country, which makes it a great place for all these teams to play."
The Tigers go into the weekend after competing in the 2011 ITA/Riviera All-American Championships, where all four competitors won at least one match against top competitors in the nation.
"This was a good tournament for us," Walker said. "Last year we only had two players invited and we went 0-2. This year, four of our girls were invited and we went 4-4. This tournament allowed us to get some confidence, learn a lot and show we can compete with the top players in the country. We're looking forward to some big breakthroughs in the next few weeks, especially with us hosting USTA/ITA Regionals."
Friday, the event kicks off with the first and second qualifying rounds of singles and doubles. Saturday, U of M junior netter Andrea Arrues- Garcia will play in the first match of the tournament. The action continues with the final draw of singles and doubles matches, followed by back draws on Sunday. Teams will compete in quarterfinal and semifinal matches on Monday. Championships for back draw singles will be held Tuesday at 8a.m. while main draw doubles finalists will compete at 10 a.m., followed by main draw singles at 10:30 a.m.
Courtney Collins, junior netter, is set to face IUPUI's Shelby Hullett on Saturday in the first round of the singles main draw. Teammates Mariya Slupska, Tiffany Welcher and Alyssa Hibberd are also among the seven Lady Tigers competing. Welcher and Hibberd will begin doubles main draw play at 8 a.m.
"We have two Memphis players seeded in the top eight, so our girls are looking forward to competing," Walker said. "Fans will really have an opportunity to see a lot of quality tennis this week."
