Women’s tennis to host regional event

The Gators will host their only home event for fall in the 2011 USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Championship from Friday to Monday. This will be the first time the Gators hosted a regional event. Fans can get in free at the Ring Tennis Complex.

The singles and doubles tournament is a feeder to the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships, the second Grand Slam event. The singles and doubles champions will earn an automatic spot in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships. The Indoor Championships are held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, Nov. 3-6.

On Friday, play will start at 9 a.m. and will feature a round of doubles followed by a round of singles then another round of doubles. For Saturday and Sunday there will be a round of doubles and two rounds of singles. On Monday, the doubles and singles finals will take place (Main and Consolation Draws).

The ITA Southeast Regional will feature 19 schools who will have players competing in singles and/or doubles play. Consolation play will be for all the first-round losers.

The Gators’ Allie Will already clinched a spot in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships with her singles title and being a doubles finalist at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships. Six other Gators will fight for the singles championship.

The Gators dynamic duos of Alex Cercone & Sofie Oyen and Caroline Hitimana & Olivia Janowicz will compete for the doubles title.

UF’s doubles team of Lauren Embree and Joanna Mather earned an automatic berth in the national tournament by being victorious in the consolation doubles at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships.

2011 USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Women’s Tennis Championships

Ring Tennis Complex Gainesville, Fla.

Hosted by the University of Florida

UF First Round Schedule

Singles, First Round (Round of 64)

(5) Lauren Embree (UF) vs. Masa Grgan (GST)

(34) Alex Cercone (UF) vs. Alexis Rodriguez (UCF)

(85) Caroline Hitimana (UF) vs. Melissa Bolivar (UM)

(37) Olivia Janowicz (UF) vs. Jasmine Minor (GT)

Bethany Holt (FAMU) vs. (73) Sofie Oyen (UF)

Kir Kemp (GST) vs. (26) Joanna Mather (UF)

Doubles, First Round (Round of 32)

Olivia Janowicz/Caroline Hitimana (UF) vs. Kathline Durden/Bethany Holt (FAMU)

Alexandra Apostu/Vera Shkundia (KSU) vs. Alex Cercone/Sofie Oyen (UF)

School Codes:

GST= Georgia State

UCF= Central Florida

UM= Miami

GT= Georgia Tech

FAMU= Florida A&M

KSU= Kennesaw State

Gator Country reporter Sara Ladwig can be reached at sladwig@gatorcountry.com