PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Four University of New Mexico women’s tennis players are heading to the 2014 Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships at the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., with pre-qualifying play tomorrow and qualifying play Monday.
Lobo sophomores Meredith Hopson and Gabrielle Otero will compete in the Pre-Qualifying Singles draw on Saturday. The pre-qualifying round is a 64-player draw and each competitor will have to win three rounds of singles in order to advance to the qualifying round. Otero will square off against junior Katya Vasilyev of Boston College in the first round at 11:30 p.m. PT. Hopson will face senior Tiffany William of Middle Tennessee State at 1 p.m. PT.
Senior Natasha Smith and sophomore Dominique Dulski will represent the Lobos in the 32-draw Qualifying Doubles bracket on Monday. Draws for qualifying rounds have not yet been released. The duo recorded a 7-4 record as a doubles team in the 2013-14 season and earned a final ITA Mountain Region Doubles ranking of nine. Smith and Dulski will need to win three rounds to advance to the main draw.
A total of eight singles players and four doubles team can advance to the main draw.
Assistant coach Kelcy McKenna is accompanying the Lobos at the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships as head coach Erica Jasper is currently at the CU Invite in Boulder, Colo. with Rachana Bhat, Emily Olivier, Susan Baklini, and Sharon Coone.
For updates and results throughout the weekend head to golobos.com or check the UNM Women’s Tennis Facebook page.
COMPLETE PRE-QUALIFYING SINGLES DRAW
About the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships
The ITA Women’s All-American Championships were first inaugurated in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and have been hosted by the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, California since 1986. Now, thirty-one years since the inaugural tournament, the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships continue to bring together the finest returning singles and doubles competitors from the previous season with the cream of the crop of the incoming freshman class for a fantastic week of tennis.