Virginia to Host 2008 National Indoor Individual Championships
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CHARLOTTESVILLE The University of Virginia will host the 2008 Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Intercollegiate Indoor Tennis Championships next November at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. The tournament features 32 of the top singles players and 16 top doubles teams for both men and women from around the nation.
“We could not be more excited to be hosting a national championship,” said Virginia men’s tennis head coach Brian Boland. “We are excited for our players, the university, as well as all the great fans and supporters that will have the opportunity to come out and watch the best men’s and women’s tennis players in the country compete for a national championship. I want to give a special thank you to the administration for their effort and support in attaining this prestigious event. This is a special opportunity for our tennis programs and we intend to make the most of it.”
The tournament began in 1978 for the men and 1984 for the women. Previous singles champions on the men’s side include James Blake of Harvard, Todd Martin of Northwestern, MaliVai Washington of Michigan and Luke Jensen of USC, who all have gone on to success as professionals following their collegiate careers. Last month, at the 2007 ITA National Indoor Championships in Columbus, Ohio, Virginia’s Somdev Devvarman won the singles title and the Cavalier duo of Devvarman and Treat Huey won the doubles title.
“We are very fortunate and grateful to have the opportunity to host the ITA National Indoor Individual Championships,” said Virginia women’s tennis head coach Mark Guilbeau. “A great thanks goes out to the UVa administration, our tennis supporters and the ITA for making this a possibility. We look forward to a very special event and plan to make this an incredible experience for all of the players coming to Charlottesville.”
The event will be the first national tennis championship hosted by Virginia at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. The club, which has long been the indoor home of the Cavalier tennis programs, completed a $7.5 million expansion in January 2006. The club now features 12 indoor courts, including six in the indoor tennis stadium with seating for 1,200 spectators. In October, the facility hosted its first ITA event, the men’s Mideast Regional.
The 2008 ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Tennis Championships will run from Nov. 6-9 at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.