ATHENS, Ga. – The Old Dominion University women’s tennis team will head to Athens, Ga. this weekend to compete in the 2013 Bulldog Classic. Along with host Georgia, the Lady Monarchs will also take on N.C. State and South Florida. Action is set to begin on Friday, September 20 and run through Sunday, September 22.
Old Dominion head coach Dominic Manilla said, “This is going to be the biggest stage ODU women’s tennis has played on in years. The Dan Magill Tennis Complex is a legendary complex and it is key that Old Dominion will be represented there. This shows the steps our program has taken just to get to this point.”
The Lady Monarchs finished the 2012-13 spring season with a 13-9 overall record and return six student-athletes from last year’s team. Manilla and the ODU staff also added key newcomers in: Marijana Novakovic and Ingrid Vojcinakova. This will be the second season that Old Dominion will compete in the C-USA.
“Being in Conference USA was definitely a motivating factor for everyone involved here, we really embraced the move. The C-USA is one of the toughest tennis conferences in the country, last year they put five teams into the NCAA Tournament. So the bar is set very high, which has made our team very hungry,” exclaimed Manilla.
UGA
Dan Magill Tennis Complex has a capacity of 4,500, which includes a total of 16 courts (12 outdoor and four indoor). Georgia tennis facility is regarded as one of the best collegiate tennis facilities in America. The complex has hosted the Men's NCAA Championships a total of 26 times, as well as served as host to the Women's NCAA Championships five times and will make it a sixth time after this spring season, as UGA will be hosting the 2013-14 Women’s NCAA Championship.
Four members of the Georgia women's tennis team earned spots in the 2013 Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason singles and doubles rankings. Junior Lauren Herring and senior Maho Kowase headlined the Bulldog contingent at the No. 3 and No 14 spots, while sophomore Silvia Garcia came in at No. 60 and senior Kate Fuller fell in at No. 101. Fuller and Garcia were also named to the 2013 ITA Collegiate All-Star Team.
The Bulldogs are the only SEC program with a singles player ranked in the Top 15, and the only SEC team with multiple singles players ranked in the Top 35.
2012-2013 Overall Record: 24-4 • Conference: 12-1
NC State
NC State senior Joelle Kissell is ranked 45th in the country in singles, as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) 2013 Preseason Poll. Kissell finished 2013 with a total of 49 career singles wins, which is tied for third most in program history. Kissell is the 10th highest ranked player among those in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Joelle Kissell, Elisha Hande, Nicole Martinez and Taylor Zaytoun were named to the 2013 ITA All-Academic Scholar-Athletes list. NC State returns seven letterwinners that advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 2013-14 season.
The Wolfpack finished 8th in the ACC Standings last year.
2012-2013 Overall Record: 14-10 • Conference: 4-7
South Florida
USF finished a strong 2012-13 campaign as runner-up in the Big East Tournament. South Florida went 9-2 in the Big East and made it to the conference championship for the fifth time under Head Coach Agustin Moreno.
The Bulls lose All-Big East performer 2012-13 senior Katie Vasenina. Vasenina helped the Bulls make three consecutive trips to the Big East championship match and represented USF at the NCAA tournament last spring.
2012-2013 Overall record: 15-8 • Conference: 9-2
2013 BULLDOG CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Friday September 20
10:00 AM – UGA vs. NC State - Doubles
10:00 AM – ODU vs. South Florida – Doubles
11:30 AM – UGA vs. ODU – Doubles
11:30 AM – NC State vs. South Florida – Doubles
2:00 PM – UGA vs. South Florida - Singles
2:00 PM – NC State vs. ODU - Singles
Saturday, September 21
9:00 AM – UGA vs. South Florida - Doubles
9:00 AM – ODU vs. NC State - Doubles
10:30 AM – UGA vs. ODU – Singles
10:30 AM – NC State vs. South Florida – Singles
Sunday, September 22
10:00 AM – UGA vs. NC State – Singles
10:00 AM – ODU vs. South Florida - Singles