Temple University Athletics
Temple University
La Salle
Women's Tennis Earns Third Seed at Upcoming Atlantic 10 Championship
4.21.10 | Women's Tennis
Owls face #14 La Salle in opening round play on Friday
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Temple women's tennis team received the third seed at the upcoming Atlantic 10 Women's Tennis Championship on April 23-25 at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in St. Louis, Mo. The Owls will face #14 La Salle at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 23.
TU has posted a 9-11 record through the regular-season this spring, including a 4-2 record in A-10 play. The Cherry & White ended the year on a two-match win streak that featured a 6-1 win over conference foe Fordham. Temple did not face La Salle during the regular season this year.
Leading the way in singles play is senior captain Anastasiia Rukavyshnykova with a 16-12 overall record, playing anywhere from the first to the fourth flight. The reigning A-10 Player of the Week is joined by four other teammates with double figures singles win totals. Freshman May Johnson has posted the best singles win percentage this season, going 14-6 (.700) overall and 6-0 against Atlantic 10 teams.
In doubles action, Rukavyshnykova and junior Lucia Pazderova were one of the only duo's to consistently play together, going 12-5 overall including a 6-0 mark at the second spot. The pair ends the regular-season on a two-match streak.
“The team is very excited about the upcoming challenges of the A-10 tournament,” said second year head coach Steve Mauro. “We believe that, of late, we're playing well and we're in a good position to win the tournament. A few of the girls who were injured for much of the year are almost fully recovered and with the leadership of our captain, Anastasiia Rukavyshnykova, we think we have a good chance to come home with the title.”
Seeking its first title in program history, Xavier is the top seed for this week's event. The Musketeers placed fourth a year ago and have finished runner-up at the Championship on three different occasions, most recently in 2008. XU is led by senior Jill Ducro, who boasts 75 career singles wins, and three-time A-10 Rookie of the Week Katie Pleiman, who is 14-4 on the year at the number one flight.
Second-seeded and defending champion
The seeds for the Championship are Xavier (first), Richmond (second), Temple (third), Duquesne (fourth), George Washington (fifth), Massachusetts (sixth), Saint Louis (seventh), Rhode Island (eighth), Charlotte (ninth), Dayton (tenth), Saint Joseph's (eleventh), St. Bonaventure (twelfth), Fordham (thirteenth) and La Salle (fourteenth).
Play starts on Friday, Apr. 23, at 8:00am, with the final match of the day beginning at 6:00pm. On Saturday, Apr. 24, 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. 25, at 8:00am. The third place and title matches close out the event at 10:30am.
For complete coverage of the Atlantic 10 Women's Tennis Championship, log on to www.atlantic10.org
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