Four Gators to Compete in Riviera/ITA All-American Championships Pre-Qualifying Saturday
Saturday, September 27, 2014 | Women's Tennis
University of Florida freshmen Josie Kuhlman and Peggy Porter and sophomores Spencer Liang and Belinda Woolcock kick off Gators action at the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships in pre-qualifying singles Saturday.
Liang drew Anna Mamalat of Texas A&M in the first round of the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships pre-qualifying draw that begins Saturday at 10 a.m. PT. Kuhlman takes on Neda Koprcina of Texas at 11 a.m. Porter will face Portland's Lucia Butkovska and No. 3-seeded Woolcock plays Gabrielle Smith of Southern California at 1 p.m.
Liang could play the winner of Lexi Borr of Boston College vs. Lok Sze Leung from Northwestern at 2:30 p.m. If Kuhlman advances, she'll take on Marie Faure of Virginia or Patricia Fargas of DePaul at 2:30 p.m. Porter would play Tristen Dewar of Clemson or Mississippi's Mai El Kamash in the second round at 4 p.m. With a round one win, Woolcock would face Nicole Long from Oregon or Florida State's Daneika Borthwick at 4 p.m.
Woolcock is coming off a main draw victory at the Duke Fab Four Invitational.
UCLA plays host to the pre-qualifying portion of the national event, which is a single-elimination contest where competitors must win three rounds to advance to the qualifying draw.
NEED TO KNOW INFO ON THE RIVIERA:
The Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, CA, will again serve as the host site for the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships. The national championship, considered the first leg of the collegiate grand slam, is set to begin on Saturday, September 27 with pre-qualifying singles and doubles matches, which will once again be hosted by UCLA. Qualifying competition will be held September 30-October 1 and main draw action is slated for Thursday, October 2-Sunday, October 5 at the Riviera Tennis Club.
HOW IT WORKS:
Pre-qualifying features a singles draw of 64 and a doubles draw of 32. Each player or doubles pair must win three rounds in order to advance to the qualifying draw; a total of eight singles players and four doubles duos move on to qualifying from pre-qualifying play. The qualifying rounds are also comprised of a singles draw of 64 and a doubles draw of 32. Just as with pre-qualifying, a singles player or doubles tandem must win three consecutive matches to stay alive and move into the main draw. Eight spots in the singles main draw are reserved for qualifiers, while the doubles main draw will feature four teams from qualifying.
GATORS SELECTED FOR RIVIERA/ITA ALL-AMERICAN:
• Brianna Morgan received an automatic berth into the singles main draw
• Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan earned a spot in the singles qualifying draw
• Belinda Woolcock is No. 4 on the qualifying singles draw alternate list
• Josie Kuhlman, Spencer Liang, Peggy Porter and Woolcock kick off Riviera action in pre-qualifying singles
• Keegan & Woolcock received an automatic berth into the doubles main draw
• Austin & Morgan have been selected to the qualifying doubles list
• Kuhlman and Porter will compete in pre-qualifying doubles
WHAT'S AT STAKE:
Singles semifinalists, doubles finalists and consolation champions will receive automatic entry into the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships November 6-9 in Flushing, New York.
FOLLOWING THE ACTION:
Follow the ITA on Twitter for updates and news from California, or search for the hashtag #RivieraITA to find other tweets from those tweeting about the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships. Check out the ITA Facebook page or the 2014 All-American Championships Tournament Hub for more updates.
FOLLOW THE GATORS:
