Complete Release in PDF Format 
May 13, 2010
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Texas A&M opens the 2010 NCAA Tennis Women's Championships Friday as they Aggies take on University of South Florida at 10 a.m. (9 a.m. CT) at the Neil Schiff Tennis Stadium on the University of Miami campus.
The winner advances to the second round and will take on the winner between No. 11 seed Miami and Boston University on Saturday at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. CT). The second-round winner advances to the Round of 16 to be played at the University of Georgia's Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., beginning May 20.
First and Second-Round Schedule: (all times are Eastern): Friday, May 14 Texas A&M (14-9) vs. USF (11-7), 10 a.m. Boston (11-11) vs. No. 11 Miami (17-5), 1 p.m. Saturday, May 15 First round winners, 2 p.m.
A&M, which earned its 11th consecutive NCAA bid and has advanced to at least the second round in six of the last seven years, received an at-large bid and is a No. 33-48 seed in the 64-team tournament field and the No. 3 seed at the University of Miami site. USF, a No. 17-32 seed overall and an at-large selection from the BIG EAST Conference, is the No. 2 seed in Coral Gables, and host Miami, an at-large team from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is the No. 1 seed at the four-team site and the No. 11 seed overall. Boston University is a 49-64 seed overall and is the No. 4 seed at Miami after receiving an automatic bid by winning the America East Conference title.
Each match will be played on six courts and will be stopped immediately when an overall winner is determined.
For ticket information on the Coral Gables Regional, contact the UM Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-CANES. Box office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET).
Live scoring updates of A&M matches will be available at AggieAthletics.com. Live scoring of all matches will be provided on Miami's website at hurricanesports.com.
A&M's Road to the NCAAs -- The Aggies went 14-9 during the regular season, going 10-9 against ranked opponents, including three wins against teams in the NCAA tournament field -- Arkansas and Oklahoma twice. Eight of the nine losses were against teams that are in the NCAAs, including No. 1 seed Baylor twice, No. 5 seed Notre Dame, No. 9 seed Clemson and No. 16 seed Texas.
The Aggies, who were ranked as high as No. 31 in the nation on Feb. 12, went 8-3 in the Big 12 Conference to finish fourth behind regular-season and conference tournament-champion Baylor, runner-up Texas and third-place Nebraska.
A&M's History in the NCAAs -- Texas A&M is making its 11th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and 16th overall since the first championship was held in 1982. The Aggies, who received automatic NCAA tournament berths in 1986 and 2004 and were seeded an all-time high No. 12 in 2004, are 11-15 all-time in postseason play.
This is only the second time in nine years that the Aggies have been sent outside the state of Texas for first and second-round matches.
Last year, the Aggies were sent to Baylor in Waco for the third time in four years. A&M, a 33-48 seed and the No. 3 seed at the four-team site, fell to former Southwest Conference foe and No. 17-32 seed SMU, 4-1, ending the Aggies' streak of six consecutive second-round appearances.
In 2008, A&M was sent to Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif., for the first two rounds. It marked the first time the Aggies were sent out of state since A&M traveled to Notre Dame in 2001. No. 31 A&M defeated 38th-ranked Washington, 4-1, in the opening round but then was eliminated by No. 4 seed Stanford, 4-1.
In 2007, A&M was sent to Baylor for the second consecutive year. A&M defeated in-state rival TCU, 4-1, in the first round and then fell to the Lady Bears, 4-1, in the second round.
In 2006, A&M was an at-large team and faced No. 22 Arizona State in the first round in Waco. After winning two of three doubles matches, A&M went on to win three of the first four completed singles matches to clinch the win and advance to the second round. No. 13 seed Baylor eliminated A&M, 4-1, in the second round.
In 2005, A&M received an at-large berth and defeated Nevada-Las Vegas, 4-0, in the first round played at the University of Texas' Penick-Allison Tennis Center in Austin. The Aggies were eliminated in the second round as the Longhorns topped A&M, 4-1, en route to their national runner-up finish.
In 2004, the Aggies received an automatic berth after coming from behind to top 10th-ranked and Big 12 regular-season champion Texas, 4-3, in the finals of the Big 12 Tournament. It was the Aggies' first automatic NCAA invitation in the eight-year history of the conference. A&M was awarded an all-time high No. 12 seed in the 64-team bracket and was selected to host first and second rounds for the second consecutive year and the third time overall.
A&M took advantage of playing at home, racing past SWAC automatic qualifier Southern, 4-0, in the first round. The Aggies faced former Southwest Conference-foe SMU in the second round, and after dropping the doubles point, A&M won the first four singles matches to send the Aggies to the Round of 16 for the first time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams.
The Aggies were eliminated by fifth-seeded and No. 7-ranked Clemson, 4-1, in Athens, Ga.
A&M was selected to host and was the No. 2 seed at the regional site in the 2003 tournament. The Aggies disposed of LSU, 4-0, to advance to the second round. A&M then fell to the nation's No. 4 seed, California, 4-0.
The Aggies first appeared in the 16-team tournament in 1986 and were eliminated by eventual runner-up Southern California, 8-1, in the first round in Austin. A&M returned to the Championships in 1989 and fell to Arizona, 5-1, in the first round in Gainesville, Fla.
A&M was selected to host for the first time in 1996 and took advantage of the home site, then the Omar Smith Tennis Center. The No. 2 seed in the eight-team Southwest Regional, the Aggies defeated Baylor, 5-1, and then downed No. 3 seed Arkansas, 5-3, to advance to the regional finals. A&M faced No. 1-seed Vanderbilt for the right to advance to the Round of 16 and fell, 5-3.
A&M made a second consecutive appearance in the 1997 NCAAs and defeated host Rice, 5-3, in the first round of the Southwest Regional played at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium in Houston. The Aggies were eliminated by LSU, 5-0, in the regional semifinals.
The Aggies returned to the NCAAs for a third straight year in 1998 and fell to Houston, 5-3, in the opening round of the Southwest Regional in Baton Rouge, La.
After missing the 1999 tournament, A&M received a bid to the 2000 tournament and was sent to Berkeley, Calif. The Aggies topped Kentucky, 5-4, in the first round and then fell to the host Golden Bears, 5-0, in the regional semifinals.
A&M fell in the first round of the 2001 and 2002 NCAA regionals, falling to Tulane, 4-3, at Notre Dame and then dropping a 4-1 decision to TCU in Austin in 2002.
Series Records vs. Regional Opponents -- A&M is 5-1 in the all-time series against USF. A&M won the first five meetings in the series but suffered a disappointing 4-3 setback to the then-No. 29 Bulls earlier this season (Feb. 28) in Tampa, Fla. Complete results of the most recent meeting:
#29 South Florida 4, #36 Texas A&M 3
Singles
1. #26 Irene Rehberger (USF) def. #33 Elze Potgieter (TAMU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
2. Morgan Frank (TAMU) def. Melissa Koning (USF) 6-3, 6-1
3. #69 Nazari Urbina (TAMU) def. Ecaterina Vasenina (USF) 6-2, 6-2
4. Janette Bejlkova (USF) def. Christi Liles (TAMU) 6-4, 6-3
5. Lauren Santacroce (TAMU) def. Natalia Guevara (USF) 6-7 (1), 6-2, 6-2
6. Jessica Zok (USF) def. Sheri Olivier (TAMU) 6-0, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. #15 Koning/Rehberger (USF) def. #52 Potgieter/Urbina (TAMU) 9-7
2. Frank/Liles (TAMU) def. Allyn Mueller/Vasenina (USF) 8-0
3. Bejlkova/Lauren Shumate (USF) def. Stephanie Davidson/Olivier (TAMU) 9-8 (4)
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (2,4,6,3,1,5)
A&M is 4-2 all-time against Miami and has won the last three meetings. In the most recent competition, A&M defeated the Hurricanes, 4-1, in 2002.
A&M and Boston have never met.
Regional Team Notes -- South Florida (11-7) is ranked 26th in the ITA national rankings and is making its 10th overall and fifth consecutive NCAA appearance. The Bulls, 2-9 all-time in NCAA matches, fell to Auburn, 4-0, in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Championships.
The Bulls, who have not played since falling to DePaul, 4-1, in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championships on April 24, are led by junior Irene Rehberger, who plays No. 1 singles and is ranked No. 43 in the nation with a 20-12 overall record. She has been selected to compete in the NCAA Championships in both singles and doubles. Rehberger and partner Melissa Koning are No. 16 in the nation in doubles and have gone 11-7 in dual matches and 21-7 overall.
Agustin Moreno is in his fifth year as head coach of the Bulls.
Eleventh-ranked Miami (17-5) is making its 25th overall and 15th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championships and is the No. 11 seed. The Hurricanes finished the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) season 10-1 and earned the No. 2 seed in the ACC Championships where they were upset by No. 7 seed Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals.
UM is 8-5 against teams participating in this year's NCAA Tournament, including wins against four of the 16 nationally seeded teams -- No. 9 Clemson, No. 10 Duke, No. 14 Georgia Tech and No. 15 Florida State.
Three-time All-American Laura Vallverdu, Miami's all-time leader in singles wins (125), is 29-11 overall, including 17-5 in dual matches. The runner-up at the 2009 NCAA Singles Championship hosted by Texas A&M, Vallverdu is currently ranked No. 7 in the nation in singles and earned the No. 8 overall seed as an at-large selection in this year's NCAA Singles Championship.
Vallverdu and partner Gabriela Mejia received an automatic bid to the NCAA Doubles Championships after going 22-5, including 11-3 at No. 1 doubles.
Junior Bianca Eichkorn, who is riding a 22-match winning streak and is 21-0 in dual matches, is No. 40 in the nation in singles and also received an at-large berth to the NCAA Singles Championships.
Paige Yaroshuk-Tews is in her ninth season as head coach of the Hurricanes and has directed the team to at least the NCAA second round every year of her tenure. Last year, the Hurricanes were the No. 6 seed and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals before falling to eventual national champion Duke, 4-1.
Boston University (11-11) is making its 12th consecutive and 12th overall appearance in the NCAAs after receiving an automatic berth by winning its 21st America East Conference title. The Terriers are still looking for their first NCAA tournament victory after falling to No. 11 seed UCLA in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Championship.
Sophomore Stefanie Nunic has been named the America East Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after going 13-5 in singles. Sophomore Petra Santini and freshman Jessi Linero each received first-team all-conference honors.
Former Terrier standout Lesley Sheehan is in her 25th year as head coach at her alma mater.
A&M Coach Bobby Kleinecke -- Two-time Big 12 Coach of the Year Bobby Kleinecke enters the NCAAs with a 402-262 (.605) record in his 25th season at the helm of the Aggies, including a 122-32 (.792) record in Big 12 regular-season matches. In 1986, Kleinecke's inaugural season of his college coaching career and at A&M, he led the Aggies to the Southwest Conference title and was named the SWC Coach of the Year. In 1996, he was voted the SWC Coach of the Year and in 2002, Kleinecke was honored as the Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year in the Southwest Region after leading A&M to a record-23 wins. In 2003, A&M tied for its first regular-season title as the Aggies and Baylor went 9-2. In 2004, Kleinecke's team captured its first Big 12 tournament championship, advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 and finished the season with a record 24 victories. Under Kleinecke's leadership, the Aggies are making their 16th NCAA appearance, including their 11th consecutive appearance.
In the Rankings -- A&M is ranked No. 35 in the Campbell's/ITA College Tennis Rankings released May 3. The Aggies have been ranked as high as No. 31 (Feb. 12) and were out of the rankings one week (March 16) during the spring season.
Freshman Nazari Urbina is ranked No. 51 in singles this week after reaching a career-high No. 47 ranking on April 27. Elzé Potgieter is listed No. 56 and Morgan Frank is No. 109.
In doubles, Potgieter and Urbina are No. 34. Frank is No. 44 with Potgieter and No. 47 with Lauren Santacroce.
Urbina, 31-5 overall, has played the majority of her matches at No. 2 singles, where she is 14-0. She played No. 1 singles at the Big 12 Championships, defeating 97th-ranked Ana-Marie Constantinescu of Oklahoma, 6-3, 6-4, and getting a no decision after splitting sets against No. 5 Lenka Broosova of Baylor.
Potgieter, 20-14 overall, is 11-10 at the No. 1 line and 2-1 at the No. 2 position, while Frank is 15-1 at No. 3 singles and 23-6 overall.
Urbina is 8-3 against ranked opponents, including a 6-3, 6-4 victory against then-No. 18 Nina Secerbegovic of Baylor. The win marks the highest ranked victory by an A&M player this season.
Potgieter and Urbina's highest ranked doubles victory in the dual season was an 8-6 win against No. 29 Ana-Marie Constantinescu and Teona Tsertsvadze of Oklahoma.
Passing Shots -- Juniors Morgan Frank and Christi Liles will be returning to their home state for NCAAs. Both hail from the Tampa area, Frank from Oldsmar and Liles from Largo...In the regular-season finale match against Missouri, A&M won for the first time this season after dropping the doubles point...A&M is 10-0 when No. 6 singles wins and 9-0 when No. 1, 2 and 3 singles all win...Freshman Nazari Urbina is 31-5 overall in singles, tying Ashley Hedberg (2001-02) and Lynn Staley (1989-90) for fourth place in the A&M single season records for most wins...Senior Elzé Potgieter is seventh in the A&M career records with 90 victories in her four-year career...Sophomore Sheri Olivier, who had never played higher than No. 4 singles during her career, played the No. 3 line against Missouri and came through with a crucial straight-set victory to help lead A&M to a come-from-behind 4-3 win...A&M is 10-9 against ranked opponents...A&M's highest ranked win was a 4-3 decision against then-No. 14 Arkansas on March 17 in College Station...A&M has scored at least two points in every match with the exception of a 6-1 loss at No. 2 Baylor and a 4-0 loss to the Lady Bears in the Big 12 Championship semifinals...Potgieter and Urbina were named to the All-Big 12 Women's Tennis Team in both singles and doubles.