Eight teams to compete December 4-7 in Poitiers, France

 WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., October 30, 2008 -- The USTA today announced the top American collegians selected to represent the United States in the International University Challenge of Tennis sponsored by BNP Paribas.  The event, in its third year, features eight teams composed of college and university players from around the world.  

The International University Challenge of Tennis will be held December 4-7 in Poitiers, France.  The seven nations competing with the United States, which is competing for the first time, include Belgium, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Montenegro, Russia and Switzerland.  The teams will compete in a best-of-seven format consisting of two men’s and two women’s singles matches, one men’s and one women’s doubles match, and one mixed doubles match.  

TEAM MEMBERS:

John Kauss, Gustavus Adolphus College

Amanda Fink, University of Southern California

Nate Schnugg, University of Georgia

Jennifer Kung, University of Chicago

Michael Venus, Louisiana State University

Kelcy McKenna, Arizona State University

 The team will be coached by Michelle Dasso, the head women’s tennis coach at the University of Illinois, and Paul Settles, the head coach of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges men’s tennis team.

The U.S. team was selected as a joint partnership between the USTA and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) using the following criteria:

·    The top male and female American finishers at the 2008 ITA All-American Championships

·    The top male and female American finishers at the 2008 ITA Small College Championships

·    The top male and female Americans ranked in the 2008 ITA Preseason Division I Rankings

Kauss, a senior from St. Paul, Minn., won the ITA Small College Division III Championship  earlier in October without dropping a single set in the tournament.  Schnugg, a junior from Medford, Ore., was named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2008 NCAA Tournament, and is No. 12 in the ITA Preseason Division I Rankings.  He was a member of the 2008 USTA Summer Collegiate Team.  Venus, a senior from Orlando, Fla., won the 2008 D’Novo/ITA Men’s All-American Championship in Tulsa, Okla., in October and earned first-team All-SEC honors for the 2007-08 season.

Fink, a senior from Calabasas, Calif., was the ITA Rookie of the Year in 2006 and starts this season at No. 5 in the ITA Rankings.  She won her first professional title in July at the USTA Pro Circuit $10,000 event in Atlanta, and was a member of the 2008 USTA Summer Collegiate Team.  Kung, a freshman from Sunnyvale, Calif., won the ITA Small College Division III Championship in October.  McKenna, a sophomore from North Bend, Ore., won the 2008 Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships, and as a freshman received second-team All Pac-10 honors.