Virginia Opens NCAA Tournament Friday With Fairleigh Dickinson
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May 11, 2016
| No. 14 Seed Virginia (16-10) hosts NCAA First and Second Rounds | |
| Date & Time | Friday, May 13 (11 a.m./2 p.m.) | Saturday, May 14 (3 p.m.) |
| Location | Charlottesville, Va. | Snyder Tennis Center |
| Coverage | Live Scoring | Interactive Bracket | NCAA Women’s Tennis Home Page | UVA Notes |
| Additional Information | Twitter | Coach Guilbeau Twitter | Facebook |
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia (16-10) women’s tennis team opens NCAA Tournament play on Friday (May 13), hosting Fairleigh Dickinson (8-6) in first round action at the Snyder Tennis Center. First serve is set for 2 p.m.
Admission to the matches is free and parking is available at the Culbreth Garage. Live stats are available at VirginiaSports.com.
The Cavaliers are the No. 14 overall seed in the event after advancing to the semifinals of the ACC Championships. It marks the sixth consecutive season for Virginia to earn a national seed for the NCAA Championships. The Cavaliers have won five of the last six matches on the season heading into the postseason tournament.
Virginia is 17-16 all-time in NCAA Championships competition, advancing to the NCAA Round of 16 for the fifth consecutive year last season. The Cavaliers advanced to the quarterfinal round in the 2014 season, marking the best run in the NCAA Tournament in program history. It marks the eighth consecutive NCAA Championship appearance for Virginia, extending a school record.
Seniors and All-ACC performers Danielle Collins (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Julia Elbaba (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) lead the Cavaliers into the the weekend action. Collins, currently ranked No. 2 nationally in singles in the latest ITA rankings, holds a 30-4 record on the season and is 17-2 at No. 1 singles in dual matches this season. Elbaba, currently ranked No. 12 in the latest ITA rankings, is 33-7 on the season in singles play and is 18-4 in dual matches at No. 2 singles. She also set the career record for singles wins with 129 for her career.
Senior Stephanie Nauta (Galveston, Texas) serves as a tri-captain with Collins and Elbaba and holds an 18-13 record on the season. Freshman Meghan Kelley (Falmouth, Me.) is 26-9 in singles play this season, including a 6-1 mark at No. 4 singles for the Cavaliers as she has moved up in the lineup this season. Kelley went 12-1 in ACC competition this season.
Freshman Erica Susi (Vero Beach, Fla.) and sophomore Cassie Mercer (Huntington, W.V.) are expected to round out the singles lineup at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.
Ranked No. 18 nationally in doubles, Collins and Kelley are expected to compete at No. 1 doubles, while Mercer and Nauta are expected to compete at No. 2 doubles. Elbaba and Susi are expected to round out the doubles matches on court three.
The winner of Friday’s match between Virginia and Fairleigh Dickinson will advance to face the winner of the match between Columbia and LSU. That second round matchup is set for a 3 p.m. first serve. The winner of that match advances to the NCAA Round of 16 hosted by the University of Tulsa on Thursday, May 19, in Tulsa, Okla.
2016 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship – Charlottesville Regional
Friday, May 13
LSU (18-11) vs. Columbia (13-8), 10 a.m.
Virginia (16-10) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (8-6), 1 p.m. *
Saturday, May 14
Winner match 1 vs. Winner match 2, 3 p.m. *
* Match will not begin before scheduled time