College Tennis News - U-M Chosen to Host ITA Kick-Off for Fourth Straight Season

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- For the fourth consecutive season, the University of Michigan women's tennis team will host an ITA Kick-Off weekend after the ITA held its annual draft today (Wednesday, June 5). Joining Michigan at the Varsity Tennis Center in January 2014 will be Tulsa, Yale and Virginia Tech.

Each team is guaranteed two matches, with the winner of the weekend advancing to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. Michigan is the No. 1 seed, Tulsa is No. 2, Yale is No. 3 and Virginia Tech is No. 4, as the first matches of the weekend feature the No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3. The winners play each other the next day, with the losers also squaring off. Since the ITA switched to this format for the 2009-10 season, U-M has advanced to the national tournament in each year.

Tulsa went 19-7 in 2013, falling to UNLV in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Yale, which is coached by former Michigan letterwinner Danielle Lund McNamara (1997-00), is coming off an NCAA first-round loss to Georgia Tech and a 19-4 record this past season. Rounding out the field is Virginia Tech, with the Hokies going 14-12 and missing out on the NCAA Tournament in 2013.

Michigan went 23-6 in 2013, winning its fourth straight Big Ten championship and advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year. The Wolverines welcome back six letterwinners and add two freshmen to the roster for 2014.