Gators Host ITA Kick-Off Weekend Beginning Saturday
Saturday, January 31, 2009 | Women's Tennis
The seventh-ranked University of Florida women 's tennis team on Saturday and Sunday plays host to the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, the first and second round regionals for the ITA National Indoor Team Championships.
The Gators (2-0) were one of 16 teams selected to entertain the opening rounds of the 64-team event, as Florida plays Oklahoma State (0-0) in the first round on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. The other first round match held in Gainesville features No. 56 South Alabama (1-0) against No. 50 Western Michigan (3-1) at 2 p.m.
“This is going to be a tough weekend,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “We will be playing on back-to-back days regardless of our first-round outcome. We're very excited to be playing in this brand new national event. We don't know much about Oklahoma State because they haven't played any matches and have several new players who joined the team in January. We'll just have to focus on the Gators and prepare ourselves to play on consecutive days this early in the season.”
The winning teams from Saturday meet at 2 p.m. on Sunday, following the consolation contest that begins at 10 a.m. The second-round winners from each of the 16 regionals advance to Madison, Wis., for the remainder of the tournament, held February 12-15.
Florida is also playing host to the opening rounds of the men's tournament, which began on Friday and concludes Saturday.
Complete Schedule of Events
Ring Tennis Complex, Gainesville, Fla.
| Friday, Jan. 30 | |||
| 10 a.m. | Men | Arizona v. Florida | Stadium Courts |
| 2 p.m. | Men | N.C. State v. Texas A&M | Stadium Courts |
| Saturday, Jan. 31 | |||
| 10 a.m. | Women | Oklahoma State v. Florida | Stadium Courts |
| 10 a.m. | Men | First Round Losing Teams | Varsity Courts |
| 2 p.m. | Women | South Alabama v. W. Michigan | Varsity Courts |
| 2 p.m. | Men | First Round Winning Teams | Stadium Courts |
| Sunday, Feb. 1 | |||
| 10 a.m. | Women | First Round Losing Teams | Stadium Courts |
| 2 p.m. | Women | First Round Winning Teams | Stadium Courts |
-UF-
