April 19, 2007

The CAA men's and women's tennis championships begin today at the Huntington Park Tennis Center in Newport News, Va. Six nationally ranked teams and several of the country's top collegiate tennis players will be battling for the conference crowns. Both Mason's men's and women's teams are seeded 10th and will be matched up against Delaware, the 7th seeded teams.

The Patriots women's team will play their first-round match against Delaware today at 11:30 a.m. The Patriots lost its match at Delaware earlier this season on April 6, 7-0. Delaware swept all matches on the day but Mason did not go down without a fight. In doubles play, Maricel Ballester and Meredith Cutchin lost a heartbreaking match by a score of 8-7 to Elena Berry and Amanda Campbell. Julia Moscato fought hard in singles play at the No. 3 position, but came up short in three sets to Liz Perlow, 6-2, 5-7, 2-6.

The Patriot will hit the courts at 2 p.m. today against Delaware. The men also lost to the Blue Hens in a conference dual match on April 6. The Blue Hens didn't lose a set as they swept the Green and Gold. The closest match was at No. 5 as the Blue Hens Jon Schwartz defeated Matthew Vaughn 7-5, 6-1.

The women's championship will feature many outstanding teams and players. Top-seeded William & Mary is 17-2 this season and ranked #13 in the nation after beating 10 ranked foes. The Tribe, which has captured 18 of the past 21 CAA championships, is led by senior Megan Moulton-Levy, who is ranked #6 nationally in singles, and sophomore Katarina Zoricic, who is #60 in singles. Moulton-Levy and Zoricic are also the nation's top-ranked doubles team with a 35-2 overall mark. Defending CAA champion VCU is the #2 seed in this year's tournament. The Rams are ranked #26 in the nation and are led by junior Tatsiana Uvarova, who is ranked #25 in singles, and the nation's 6th-ranked doubles team in senior Olga Borisova and junior Marianna Yuferova.

The men's championship is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in conference history with the top four teams among the top 50 in the latest ITA Division I rankings. Defending champion VCU, which has won 10 of the past 11 CAA titles, is the top seed in the tournament. The Rams are ranked #24 in the nation and are led by seniors Petr Olsak (#66 nationally in singles) and Arnaud Le Cloerec (#85 nationally in singles). Second-seeded Old Dominion is ranked #32 in the nation and defeated VCU during the regular season.

2007 CAA WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
April 19-22 - Huntington Park Tennis Center - Newport News, Va.
April 19 - First Round
#6 James Madison vs. #11 Hofstra - 11:30 a.m.
#7 Delaware vs. #10 GEORGE MASON - 11:30 a.m.
#8 Towson vs. #9 Drexel - 11:30 a.m.
April 20 - Quarterfinals
#4 Georgia State vs. #5 UNC Wilmington - 9 a.m.
#1 William & Mary vs. Towson/Drexel winner - 11:30 a.m.
#2 VCU vs. Delaware/Mason winner - 2 p.m.
#3 Old Dominion vs. James Madison/Hofstra winner - 4:30 p.m.
April 21 - Semifinals
GSU/UNCW winner vs. W&M/Towson-Drexel winner - 10 a.m.
VCU/Delaware-Mason winner vs. ODU/JMU-Hofstra winner - 10 a.m.
April 22 - Championship
Women's Championship Match - 10 a.m.
2007 CAA MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
April 19-22 - Huntington Park Tennis Center - Newport News, Va.
April 19 - First Round
#7 Delaware vs. #10 GEORGE MASON - 2 p.m.
#8 Hofstra vs. #9 Drexel - 2 p.m.
April 20 - Quarterfinals
#4 Georgia State vs. #5 UNC Wilmington - 9 a.m.
#1 VCU vs. Hofstra/Drexel winner - 11:30 a.m.
#2 Old Dominion vs. Delaware/Mason winner - 2 p.m.
#3 William & Mary vs. #6 James Madison - 4:30 p.m.
April 21 - Semifinals
GSU/UNCW winner vs. VCU/Hofstra-Drexel winner - 1 p.m.
ODU/Delaware-Mason winner vs. W&M/JMU winner - 1 p.m.
April 22 - Championship
Men's Championship Match - 1 p.m.