Nov. 2, 2010
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV freshman standout Lucia Batta will open play Thursday at the 2010 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, which will take place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center's new Indoor Building through Sunday.
The elite event features a 32-player singles field and 16-team doubles field for men and women, including: champions from the 24 Division I USTA/ITA Regional Championships, the USTA/ITA National Small College champion, the eight quarterfinalists of the ITA/D'Novo Men's All-American Championships and ITA/Riviera All-American Championships, and at-large and wild card selections made by the ITA and USTA. Additionally, Columbia University, which is serving as the host school, will receive a wild card entry into each draw.
Batta earned her coveted spot by winning the USTA/ITA Mountain Region Singles Championship last month in Las Vegas. The native of Budapest, Hungary, has compiled an impressive 13-1 record during her first semester with the program.
"This is a great opportunity for Lucia to represent the UNLV tennis program," said UNLV head coach Kevin Cory. "Anytime you qualify for a national championship event, it's a big accomplishment. It will interesting to see where she stands against some of the top players in college tennis."
The USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships was inaugurated in 1978 for the men and 1984 for the women. Past champions and finalists include current professionals James Blake (Harvard), Bob and Mike Bryan (Stanford), Laura Granville (Stanford), John Isner (Georgia), and Lisa Raymond (Florida). Big Ten legends and Grand Slam finalists Todd Martin (Northwestern) and MaliVai Washington (Michigan) are also among the past champions.
2010 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate ChampionshipsWomen's Singles Participants
Mary Anne MacFarlane, Alabama (FR, Ogden, Utah)Anouk Tigu, Arkansas (SR, Netherlands)Sona Novakova, Baylor (JR, Czech Republic)Nina Secerbegovic, Baylor (JR, Bosnia)Mari Andersson, Cal-Berkeley (SR, Sweden)Jana Juricova, Cal-Berkeley (JR, Slovak Republic)Josipa Bek, Clemson (JR, Croatia)Nicole Bartnik, Columbia (SO, Bradenton, Fla.)Reka Zsilinska, Duke (SR, Fayetteville, N.C.)Alexandra Cercone, Florida (FR, Seminole, Fla.)Olivia Janowicz, Florida (FR, Palm Bay, Fla.)Allie Will, Florida (SO, Boca Raton, Fla.)Michaela Kissell, Marshall (SR, Hostetter, Pa.)Bianca Eichorn, Miami-Florida (SR, Germany)Denise Muresan, Michigan (SR, Lincolnshire, Ill.)Zoe De Bruycker, North Carolina (SO, Saratoga, Calif.)Maria Mosolova, Northwestern (SR, Russia)Kristy Frilling, Notre Dame (JR, Sidney, Ohio)Kristi Boxx, Ole Miss (JR, Grenada, Miss.)Connie Hsu, Pennsylvania (FR, San Antonio)Kristin Strimple, Pt. Loma Nazarene (SR, Carlsbad, Calif.)Marta Lesniak, SMU (JR, Poland)Kristie Ahn, Stanford (FR, Upper Saddle River, N.J.)Hilary Barte, Stanford (SR, Chatsworth, Calif.)Nicole Gibbs, Stanford (FR, Santa Monica, Calif.)Brynn Boren, Tennessee (FR, Laguna Niguel, Calif.)Aeriel Ellis, Texas (SO, Hayward, Calif.)Lucia Batta, UNLV (FR, Hungary)Danielle Lao, USC (SO, Arcadia, Calif.)Maria Sanchez, USC (SR, Modesto, Calif.)Venise Chan, Washington (SR, China)Denise Dy, Washington (JR, San Jose, Calif.)
