Women's Tennis Seeded Fifth at 26th Annual A-10 Championships
Sophomore Gabi Vergara needs one doubles win to tie for Charlotte's all-time mark for wins in a season. |
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April 15, 2009
Philadelphia, Pa. - After a 13-4 regular season, which included a win over A-10 foe Saint Louis, the Charlotte 49ers women's tennis team has been seeded fifth in the upcoming 26th annual Atlantic 10 Conference Championships this weekend at the Club 4 Life in Monroeville, Pa. Charlotte has won 12 or more matches in five of the six seasons under head coach Michaela Gorman.
The Niners will face 12th-seeded Saint Joseph's on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m., with that winner to take on the winner of No. 4 Rhode Island and No. 13 Saint Bonaventure later Friday night at 6 p.m.
Charlotte's squad will leave its mark on the Niner single-season lists when the season is complete.
Senior Koren Fleming and sophomore Gabi Vergara have won a school-record 24 matches together this season. Vergara added an additional double victory in the fall with Candace Cunningham and her 25 doubles matches is tied for second with Cari Peterson's 1990 total and one behind Peterson's doubles partner that season, Kim Sommer, who has 26 to top the charts. Sommer and Peterson won 22 matches together that season. Fleming's 24 stand alone in fourth place all-time in a single season in Charlotte history.
The freshmen tandem of Julia Junker and Andrea Rivera has a 22-6 doubles record together. They each have an additional doubles win with a different partner, putting them into a tie for fifth most in a season.
Charlotte won nearly 72 percent (74-30) of its doubles matches, and was an astounding 42-9 (.824) in doubles play in matches this season. The Niners won the doubles point in 13 of 17 matches, and was not swept in doubles in any match this season.
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In singles play, senior Yudeshnee Pillay has a 23-3 singles mark, including a perfect 17-0 (10-0 at number one and 7-0 at number two) in spring match play. Pillay is three behind the all-time record of 26, set by current Niner Ana Spivakovsky's 2007 mark. The 23 total singles wins put her in a tie for fifth all-time in a single season in Charlotte history.
Five-time champion Richmond is the top seed for championship.
The Spiders are vying for their fifth title in the last six seasons after finishing third a year ago. UR is led by senior Pamela Duran, a three-time All-Conference selection and the Most Outstanding Performer of the 2007 Championship. Sophomore Lucie Pazderova, a first-team All-Conference honoree last season, seeks to lead defending champion and second-seeded Temple to the fifth crown in program annals. In search of its first-ever A-10 title, 2008 runner-up Xavier is seeded third, while Rhode Island comes in at No. 4, its highest-ever seed. URI is anchored by the talented freshman trio of Kristen and Tristany Leikem and Pam Emery, who have combined to win 50 matches in singles action.
The seeds for the Championship are Richmond (first), Temple (second), Xavier (third), Rhode Island (fourth), Charlotte (fifth), Massachusetts (sixth), Duquesne (seventh), Saint Louis (eighth), George Washington (ninth), Fordham (tenth), Dayton (eleventh), Saint Joseph's (twelfth), St. Bonaventure (thirteenth), and La Salle (fourteenth).
Play starts on Friday, Apr. 17, at 8:00am, with the final match of the day beginning at 6:00pm. On Saturday, Apr. 18, play begins at 8:00am with the final match slated for 3:30pm. The fifth-place match of the Atlantic 10 Women's Tennis Championship will commence on Sunday, Apr. 19, at 8:00am. The third place and title matches close out the event at 10:30am.
