CofC Women?s Tennis Takes on Clemson in First Round of NCAA Championships
5/13/2010 9:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Tigers (22-5, 9-2 ACC) are hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament for the seventh consecutive year while participating in the tournament for the ninth straight season.
CofC (20-9) makes its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament, all of which have come under head coach Angelo Anastopoulo. Charleston captured its second straight Southern Conference Championship on Apr. 25 to earn an automatic bid to the dance.
The ninth-ranked Tigers hold a 20-1 series advantage over the 67-ranked Cougars however most of the matches have been played indoors in the beginning of the regular season. College of Charleston was narrowly edged 4-3 the last time the two teams faced off outside in 2002 and the Cougars hope the weather will hold on Thursday to allow them a second chance against the Tigers outside.
Clemson swept Charleston 7-0 in an indoor match on Jan. 23. The match was the season-opener for the then-No. 14 Tigers, while it was the second match in as many days for then-No. 68 Cougars. The Cougars went on to face a number of nationally-ranked teams throughout the season, finishing 3-8 against teams ranked in the ITA Poll.
The top-seeded doubles match will be a crucial one for College of Charleston as it will pit the 7th-ranked pair in the nation, Josipa Bek and Ina Hadziselimovic, against the 37th-ranked duo of Holly Dowse (Tuncurry, Australia/Forster) and Emma Hayman (Wanganui, New Zealand/New Mexico). Dowse and Hayman are 17-5 on the year, including a perfect 6-0 conference mark.
The Tigers boast four nationally-ranked players in singles, led by No. 17 Bek who will face Dowse at No. 1 singles. Both players received first-team all-conference honors.
The Cougars' 1 p.m. match follows Georgia vs. Harvard, who play at 10 a.m. at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center on Clemson's campus. Fans can follow both matches through live scoring on Clemson's athletic website.
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