April 17, 2008
2008 Patriot League Women's Tennis Championship Page
Center Valley, Pa. - The Army women's tennis team will look to win their fourth-consecutive and ninth-overall team title at the 2008 Patriot League Women's Tennis Championship this weekend. The three-day event, which kicks off on Friday morning, will be played at the beautiful Malek Tennis Center on the campus of the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.
The competition will begin on Friday morning, when No. 4 Lehigh takes on No. 5 Holy Cross at 11 a.m. Later in the day, No. 3 Colgate will play No. 6 Lafayette for a spot in Saturday's semifinals. Semifinal Saturday features two match-ups, as top-seeded Army will host the winner of the No. 4 Lehigh/No. 5 Holy Cross match at 11 a.m., while No. 2 Bucknell will play the winner of the match between No. 3 Colgate and No. 6 Lafayette. The 2008 Patriot League Women's Tennis Championship Match will take place on Sunday, April 20 at approximately 1 p.m.
The 2008 Patriot League Women's Tennis champion will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, which beings regional play May 9. The NCAA Championship field will be announced on ESPNews on Tuesday, April 29.
The Black Knights will have the benefit of several returning members from last year's championship team, including 2007 Patriot League Player of the Year Niki Flach. Joining Flach are 2007 All-Patriot League selections Brooke Jones, Sara Giles-Madden and Kristin Beehler. The host team also welcomes a solid corps of freshmen into the fold, including Anne Houghton and Michael Tollerton, each of whom have been named Player of the Month during the course of the 2008 season.
The second-seeded Bison of Bucknell will be led by a pair of All-Patriot League selections from a season ago, as they will be looking for their first team title since the 1994 season. Paulina Gamboa and Tania Varela will lead a group of Bison that performed well during League play this season, and will have the added benefit of freshman Lauren Lucido, who was named Player of the Month for the month of September.
The Colgate Raiders will be the highest seed to take to the courts on Friday for quarterfinal action, and will be led by Elise Derose and Samantha Inacker, who garnered All-Patriot League status in 2007. Colgate last won the Patriot League title in 1997, which was their third consecutive at the time.
Fourth-seeded Lehigh, which is still looking for its first team title, will look to make the semifinals for the third-consecutive year. The Mountain Hawks return Julie Arthofer, who was named to the All-Patriot League team a season ago.
Holy Cross and Lafayette round out the field of six teams who will compete for the Patriot League title this weekend. The Crusaders return to the League tournament for the second-consecutive year, and will look to build upon a strong finish to the regular season. The Leopards will look to win their first team title since 1991, and will be led junior Ansley Scudder.
Results for this weekend's competition can be found on the Patriot League site on the main page as well as on the Women's Tennis Championship Page which can be accessed by clicking here.
2008 Patriot League Women's Tennis Championship Schedule
Friday, April 18
Quarterfinal 1: No. 4 Lehigh vs. No. 5 Holy Cross, 11 a.m.
Quarterfinal 2: No. 3 Colgate vs. No. 6 Lafayette, 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 19
Semifinal 1: No. 1 Army vs. Winner No. 4 Lehigh/No. 5 Holy Cross, 11 a.m.
Semifinal 2: No. 2 Bucknell vs. Winner No. 3 Colgate/No. 6 Lafayette, 2 p.m.
Sunday, April 20
Championship Match, 1 p.m.
