Thursday, 02/09/2012

Longhorns set to compete in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship this weekend at The University of Virginia.

WHAT:  No. 14 Texas (3-1) resumes dual-match play this week when it competes in the annual ITA National Team Indoor Championship.

The Longhorns will take on No. 6 Georgia – the tournament’s fourth seed – in the opening round (round of 16) on Friday.  A Texas victory would match the Longhorns against either fifth-seeded California or Miami (Fla.) on Saturday.    

SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 10: Texas vs. Georgia – 11 a.m. Central
Saturday, Feb. 11:  Texas vs. California/Miami (Fla.) – TBA
Saturday, Feb. 12:  TBA

WHERE:  Boar’s Head Sports Club – Charlottesville, Va.

TOURNAMENT WEB SITE:  http://www.virginiasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17800&ATCLID=205374837

ITA RANKINGS UPDATE
Singles
47. Aeriel Ellis (UT)
119. Noel Scott (UT)

LAST TIME OUT:  Texas earned its berth into the ITA National Team Indoor Championship with a pair of wins at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend event at Vanderbilt University.  The Longhorns opened with a 4-3 win over Alabama (Jan. 28) before defeating host Vanderbilt by a 4-1 count (Jan. 29). 

MORE ON THE ITA NATIONAL TEAM INDOORS:  Texas is making its first appearance at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship since 2006, when it fell to eventual NCAA champion Stanford in the finals.  The 16-team bracketed event guarantees each team at least three matches in as many days.  First-round winners continue in the main draw while first-round losers compete in two rounds of consolation play.          

THE 2011-12 LONGHORNS:  Texas returns four regular singles starters from the 2010-11 squad that reached the finals of the Big 12 Championship and the round of 32 at the NCAA Championships.

The Horns are led by junior Aeriel Ellis, who last season became UT’s first ITA All-American since 1999.  The Californian has qualified to compete in all eight of the previous national championship events contested during her two-plus seasons as a Longhorn.  She reached the round of 16 of the singles draw at the 2011 NCAA Championships.

Senior Krista Damico totaled a 21-16 overall singles record last season while playing primarily at No. 2 singles.  The Colorado native is off to a 3-1 start in dual-match play with victories over Alabama’s 104th-ranked Courtney McLane and Vanderbilt’s 110th-ranked Marie Casares.

UT returns a talented sophomore class who saw significant time in the dual-match lineup last season.  Juliana Gajic totaled a 13-6 dual-match record, primarily at No. 5 singles, and Cierra Gaytan-Leach totaled a 9-3 dual-match record.  Elizabeth Begley has won six consecutive decisions, including a win over Virginia’s 89th-ranked Caryssa Peretz last month.  

Freshman Noel Scott, ranked 119th in the latest ITA singles rankings, defeated two ITA-ranked opponents in the Horns’ two victories at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend event.  Scott defeated Vanderbilt’s 69th-ranked Lauren Mira by a 6-0, 6-2 count one day after toppling Alabama’s 43rd-ranked Alexa Guarachi, 6-2, 6-4.

## UT ##