By: KSU Sports Information
Singles Draw I
Doubles Draw
KENNESAW, Ga. – As the Kennesaw State women’s tennis team gets ready for its biggest event of its fall season it will use last year’s historic performance as motivation when it competes at the 2011 ITA Southeast Regionals in Gainesville, Fla. this weekend.
Mackenzie Swindall became the first KSU player in history to advance out of the first round of the ITA Southeast Regional main draw last season when she pulled off an opening round upset over Ali Beavers of Georgia Southern. Senior
Vera Shkundina nearly made it two victories when she fell in a close match to Georgia’s Lilly Kimbell who was ranked as the No. 3 freshman in the nation last year.
However, this is a new season for KSU women’s tennis and so far the Black and Gold have flexed their muscles in fall play taking home a combined ten titles.
The ITA Southeast Regionals is one of the toughest tennis regions in the nation as top players from power conferences like the SEC and ACC will be competing so head coach
Jeffery Kutac is excited to see how his players stack up to some of the best in the nation.
“I am very excited to see how the girls perform this weekend as the Southeast Region is one of the most talented and competitive regions in the nation,” coach Kutac said. “This is a great opportunity for the girls to compete against some of the best players in the country so we will see what they can do and we look to get some positive results this weekend.”
Shkundina, junior
Therese Lagerkvist and sophomore
Alexandra Apostu all qualified for the singles main draw, while freshmen
Jana Hueckinghaus and
Tamara Plocher will serve as alternates. In doubles, Shkundina and Apostu were one of 32 doubles teams selected to the doubles main draw, while the KSU teams of Plocher and Hueckinghaus and Lagerkvist and freshman
Kelsey Kennedy will be alternates.
The tournament will be comprised of 16 teams, including eight teams that were ranked in the top-70 in the final 2010-11 ITA National Team Rankings. Florida (No. 1), Miami (No. 7), Georgia (No. 8), Georgia Tech (No. 12), Florida State (No. 15), South Florida (No. 41), Georgia State (No. 56), and FIU (No. 70) represent the eight ranked teams.
