UVA (21-5) hosts in-state rival VCU (16-8) in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship on Saturday (May 9). First serve at Snyder Tennis Center is set for noon.
The Cavaliers earned a No. 9 overall seed and captured their second consecutive ACC Championship this season. Virginia also earned its fifth straight national seed for the NCAA Championship. Virginia enters this weekend’s action on a six-match winning streak, with five of the six wins against NCAA Championship teams.
Virginia is 15-15 all-time in 15 NCAA championship appearances. The Cavaliers have reached the NCAA round of 16 in each of the past four seasons, including a program-best NCAA quarterfinal appearance last season. The Cavaliers are competing in their school-record seventh consecutive NCAA Championship. Virginia head coach Mark Guilbeau has a 169-92 mark in 10 seasons at Virginia and 323-181 record in 19 seasons overall.
All-ACC performers Julia Elbaba (Oyster Bay, N.Y.), Danielle Collins (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Stephanie Nauta (Galveston, Texas) lead the Cavaliers into Saturday’s action. Elbaba is 14-4 at No. 1 singles and Collins is 17-4 at No. 2. Nauta is 13-7 at No. 3 and ACC Championship MVP Skylar Morton (Bethesda, Md.) is 13-5 at No. 4. Maci Epstein (Winter Park, Fla.) is 12-3 at No. 5 and Cassie Mercer (Huntington, W.Va.) is 6-5 at No. 6.
No. 28 Elbaba and Morton are expected to compete at No. 1 doubles, while the Nauta and Mercer tandem will battle at No. 2. Collins and Epstein are set to compete at No. 3 doubles. Elbaba and Morton are 2-0 in dual action, while Nauta and Mercer are 3-1. Collins and Epstein have a 5-2 mark on court three.
Virginia is 13-9 all-time vs. VCU, including a 2-1 mark in the NCAA Championship. UVa defeated the Rams 6-1 during the 2015 dual season and 4-0 in the NCAA round of 64 in 2009.
The Virginia-VCU winner will meet the South Carolina-Princeton winner in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship on Sunday, May 10 at noon. The second round winner advances to the NCAA round of 16 on Friday, May 15 in Waco, Texas.
Live scoring for all three matches in the Charlottesville Regional will be available at VirginiaSports.com. Free parking is available at the Culbreth Garage.
2015 NCAA TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP – CHARLOTTESVILLE REGIONAL
SATURDAY, MAY 9
South Carolina (14-10) vs. Princeton (12-8) – 9 a.m.
Virginia (21-5) vs. VCU (16-8) – 12 p.m.*
SUNDAY, MAY 10
Women’s Second Round – 12 p.m.*
*match will not start before scheduled time
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Chris Graham
