Preview: Texas Women’s Tennis Begins NCAA Championship Journey
The No. 18 Texas Women's Tennis team (17-10) head to the Snyder Tennis Center in Charlottesville, Virginia this Saturday to take on No. 44 William & Mary (17-5) in the first round of the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship. This marks the 31st appearance for the the Texas women in the NCAA Championship and pits them against a familiar foe.
The Longhorns and took on the Tribe last year March 8, 2012 in a decided 5-1 victory and are 12-3 all-time versus their Colonial Athletic Association champion opponent. While William & Mary may be lower ranked, they are a resilient group and won't back down. They showed as much in a come-from-behind win against then No. 19 Ole Miss.
William & Mary will be making its 19th appearance in the NCAA NCAA Championship and 15th in the last 19 years. They also feature two rising stars in Junior Maria Belaya, the CAA Player of the Year, and. Freshman Leeza Nemchinov, the CAA Rookie of the Year. Belaya also is an exceptional doubles partner, teaming up with Jeltje Loomans to form the No. 11-ranked duo in the country.
The Texas women have heavy hitters of their own in 2013 Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Performer Breaunna Addison and Aeriel Ellis, ranked 31st and 37th national in I.T.A. singles rankings. Addison will be partnered with Noel Scott, as they are the No. 18-ranked doubles team in the country.
Should Texas win, they will advance to the round of 32 to face the winner of the Virginia-Fairleigh Dickinson match in Sunday’s second round. The No. 14 ranked Cavaliers are the host of the tournament. Looking ahead a bit further, a win in the round of 32 could potentially put them in the round of 16 against the No. 3 ranked Texas A&M Aggies. So, just in case the Texas women need some additional incentive, there you have it.
The action for UT starts Saturday at 8 a.m. central standard time.
Video courtesy of the Longhorn Network and William & Mary Athletics
