April 28, 2011
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
2011 Big 12 Championship
Thursday - Sunday • April 28-May 1
Baylor Tennis Center
Waco, Texas
Aggies Claim No. 4 Seed at Big 12 Championship -- Texas A&M is the No. 4 seed at the 2011 Big 12 Women's Tennis Championship and will open play Friday at 3 p.m. against the winner of the first-round match-up between No. 5-seed Nebraska and No. 12-seed Colorado at the Baylor Tennis Center in Waco, Texas.
The Aggies (14-7, 7-4 Big 12), who captured their only Big 12 tournament title in 2004, won four of their last five matches of the regular season to tie both Nebraska and Texas Tech for fourth place in the conference standings. Based on the head-to-head tiebreaker rule, A&M was awarded the No. 4 seed by virtue of its regular-season victories against both the Cornhuskers and Lady Raiders.
This marks the fifth time in the 15 years of the tournament that A&M has been the No. 4 seed. At last year's tournament in Austin, Texas, the Aggies were the No. 4 seed and defeated No. 5 seed Oklahoma, 4-2, in the quarterfinals before falling to top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Baylor, 4-0, in the semifinals.
All-session general admission passes to the 2011 Big 12 Championship are $10 for adults and $5 for youth, while day passes are $5 for adults and $3 for youth.
Live scoring of A&M matches will be available at AggieAthletics.com. Live scoring for other matches as well as other tournament information can be found at Big12sports.com.
The Road to a Championship -- All 12 Big 12 women's teams participate in the single-elimination Big 12 Women's Tennis Championship, which takes place Thursday, April 28 through Sunday, May 1 at the Baylor Tennis Center stadium and back courts.
The top four seeds earn a first-round bye. Baylor, the five-time defending tournament champion, earned the No. 1 seed for the eighth time since the inaugural Big 12 Championship was held in 1997.
The No. 5-12 seeds open Championship play Thursday.
The following is the complete women's tournament schedule:
Thursday, April 28 -- First Round Matches
Match - Teams Time
M1 #6 Texas Tech vs. #11 Iowa State 10 a.m.
M2 #7 Kansas State vs. #10 Kansas 10 a.m.
M3 #5 Nebraska vs. #12 Colorado 1:30 p.m.
M4 #8 Missouri vs. #9 Oklahoma State 1:30 p.m.
Friday, April 29 -- Quarterfinal Matches
M5 #3 Oklahoma vs. Winner of M1 9 a.m.
M6 #2 Texas vs. Winner of M2 12 p.m.
M7 #4 Texas A&M vs. Winner of M3 3 p.m.
M8 #1 Baylor vs. Winner of M4 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 30 -- Semifinal Matches
M9 Winner of M5 vs. Winner of M6 3 p.m.
M10 Winner of M7 vs. Winner of M8, 3 p.m.
Sunday, May 1-- Championship Match
M11 Winner of M9 vs. Winner of M10 1 p.m.
Matches will be stopped immediately when a team reaches four points.
The tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship. Texas leads the league with seven tournament titles (1997-2002, 2005). Baylor (2006-10), Oklahoma State (2003) and Texas A&M (2004) are the only other teams to possess a Big 12 Championship trophy.
A&M's Conference Tournament History -- Texas A&M is 19-13 all-time in the 14-year history of the Big 12 Women's Tennis Championship. The Aggies have reached the finals four times (1997, 2002, 2003, 2004) and are 1-3 in the championship match. A&M has reached at least the semifinals every year except 1999 when the No. 4 Aggies fell to No. 5 Baylor, 4-2, in the quarterfinals in College Station.
Last year in Austin, Texas, A&M was the No. 4 seed and defeated No. 5 Oklahoma, 5-2, but fell in the semifinals for the sixth consecutive year with a 4-0 loss to No. 1 Baylor. It was the fourth time the Aggies were eliminated by the Lady Bears.
The Aggies captured their only Big 12 Championship trophy in 2004 in Norman. The championship match between No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Texas A&M was decided in the last match standing, where A&M's Helga Vieira came through with the deciding victory, defeating Katie Ruckert, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2 singles to give the Aggies a 4-3 victory. It was sweet revenge for A&M, as the Longhorns had won the last match standing when the two teams met in College Station during the regular season to decide the regular-season champion and the No. 1 seed.
A&M, which has not played in the finals since winning its only tournament championship in 2004, reached the finals three times prior to the 2004 season, losing to Texas in both the 1997 and 2002 championship matches and falling to No. 4 seed Oklahoma State, 4-1, in the 2003 tournament held in Kansas City, Mo.
The Aggies advanced to the finals of the former Southwest Conference Championships each of the last four years it existed. Each of the finals pitted the Aggies against the Longhorns. The Aggies' only SWC tournament championship was in 1986, before the league recognized both a regular season and a tournament champion.
Aggies vs. Nebraska/Colorado in 2011 -- A&M defeated both Nebraska and Colorado during the regular season. The Aggies defeated then 34th-ranked Nebraska, 5-2, in Lincoln, Neb., on April 17, and knocked off Colorado, 6-1, on March 18 in College Station.
In the Aggies' final road trip of the regular season, A&M and Nebraska entered the contest tied for fifth in the jumbled conference standings with 5-3 records, and the Huskers were one spot ahead of the Aggies in the national ITA rankings at No. 34.
The Huskers opened doubles play with a win at the No. 3 line as Jennifer Holmberg and Maike Zeppernick topped Sheri Olivier and Nazari Urbina, 8-1. A&M, however, posted solid victories at the other two courts to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead. Stephanie Davidson and Morgan Frank raced to an 8-3 win against Patricia Veresova and Janine Weinreich at the No. 2 line to even the race, and Christi Liles and Christi Potgieter soon followed with an identical 8-3 win at the No. 1 line against 85th-ranked Madeleine Geibert and Stefanie Weinstein.
The Aggies carried the momentum into the singles and won the first set on five courts. They went on to win the first four matches completed to clinch the match. Frank won her fifth consecutive match in singles and gave A&M a 2-0 lead with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Veresova. It was only the second Big 12 loss for Veresova at No. 2.
Liles then put A&M ahead, 3-0, overcoming a 3-0 deficit in the opening set against Weinreich at No. 3 to win, 7-6 (7), 6-2. Urbina followed with the clinching win, a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Geibert at No. 1.
Frederike Putthoff put the Huskers on the scoreboard with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 win against Lauren Santacroce at No. 6. Nebraska also got a win at No. 4 when Holmberg downed Potgieter, 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (9). Davidson then capped the Aggie victory and accounted for the final 5-2 score with a 6-2, 6-7 (5), 1-0 (8) victory over Zeppernick at No. 5.
Against the Buffaloes: A&M got a boost from two players who hadn't seen a lot of court time and raced to a 6-1 victory over Colorado at the Mitchell Tennis Center. The Aggies managed the convincing win despite using an altered lineup. With freshman Christi Potgieter out of the match with a thumb injury, junior Sheri Olivier came through for her in doubles, and Santacroce, playing her first match of the spring season, had a commanding performance in singles.
A&M swept the doubles point, and Santacroce took advantage of her opportunity to play in singles by dominating Kristina Barber, 6-1, 6-1, at the No. 6 line to put A&M up 2-0. Frank also was on a mission after having an off match in the loss at Texas the previous weekend. The senior won the first five games against Probert at No. 2 and went on to win the first set, 6-2. Frank then blanked Probert, 6-0, in the second set to put A&M up 3-0.
Moments later, Liles finished off Manzi Tenorio, 6-1, 6-2 to clinch the win for the Aggies. Urbina kept the Buffs off the scoreboard, winning eight consecutive games to complete a 6-3, 6-0 victory against Schleich.
Cuthbertson, who moved up to Potgieter's No. 4 spot in the lineup, did not fair as well, dropping a 6-3, 6-2 decision to Janssens. It would be the only point for the Buffs as Davidson, who moved up to the No. 5 position, quickly followed with a 6-2, 6-2 win against Anuszkiewicz to complete A&M's 6-1 victory, which took just under three hours.
Series Records -- vs. Nebraska: A&M holds a 14-4 lead in the all-time series against Nebraska. Nebraska's most recent win against A&M was in 2010, as the Huskers snapped a three-match losing skid against the Aggies with a 5-2 victory at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
A&M is 3-0 against Nebraska at the Big 12 Championship. All three meetings have been quarterfinal match-ups. The teams last met in the tournament in 2004 in Oklahoma, where A&M won its only Big 12 tournament title.
At the 2004 meeting, there were numerous rain delays, and the match, which began at the OU Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman, was moved to the Woodlake Racquet Club in Oklahoma City midway through singles play. No. 2 seed A&M went on to defeat the seventh-seeded Huskers, 4-0, marking A&M coach Bobby Kleinecke's 300th career victory.
vs. Colorado: A&M is 14-2 in the all-time series against Colorado and has won the last 13 meetings. Colorado's last win against A&M came in 1998. The teams have never met at the Big 12 Championship.
Frank Sets Big 12 Record With Fourth Singles Title -- Texas A&M's Morgan Frank became the first player in Big 12 Conference history to capture four women's tennis individual singles titles after adding 2011 Big 12 No. 2 Singles Champion to her stellar résumé.
The senior from Oldsmar, Fla., led the league in wins at the No. 2 line with a 10-1 record this season to capture her fourth singles champion title, as well as a conference-record-tying fifth overall individual title.
Frank was the 2010 Big 12 No. 3 singles champion as junior; the 2009 Big 12 No. 2 singles champion as a sophomore; and the 2008 Big 12 No. 5 singles champion as a freshman. In addition, Frank was the Big 12 No. 3 doubles champion with Stephanie Davidson in 2008.
Her five individual champion titles ties the Big 12 record shared by A&M's Anna Lubinsky and Nicki Mechem.
Frank went 39-5 (.886) in Big 12 matches during her four-year career, having played the majority of matches at the No. 2 line, where she went 40-12 (.769).
2011 Big 12 Individual Champions
No. 1 Singles: Petra Niedermayerova, Kansas State (9-2)
No. 2 Singles: Morgan Frank, Texas A&M (10-1)
No. 3 Singles: Diana Nakic, Baylor (11-0)
No. 4 Singles: Jelena Stanivuk, Baylor (9-0)
Marie-Pier Huet, Oklahoma (9-2)
No. 5 Singles: Kantapat Narattana, Oklahoma State (9-2)
No. 6 Singles: Maria Kalashnikova, Oklahoma (10-1)
No. 1 Doubles: Kelsy Garland/Samantha Adams, Texas Tech (7-4)
Ana-Maria Constantinescu/Alice Radu, Oklahoma (7-3)
No. 2 Doubles: Mia Lancaster/Whitney Ritchie, Oklahoma (11-0)
No. 3 Doubles: Juliana Gajic/Maggie Mello, Texas (9-2)
Individual Big 12 champions are crowned for each of the six singles positions and all three doubles flights based on the number of conference wins during the regular season. A player must have competed in at least six matches at a set position to qualify for a conference title. In addition, wins at higher positions count toward the record in which an athlete has played a minimum of six matches
A&M Coach Bobby Kleinecke's -- Two-time Big 12 Coach of the Year Bobby Kleinecke's enters the Big 12 Championship with a 416-270 (.606) record in his 26th season at the helm of the Aggies, including a 129-36 (.782) 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 for the first time and finished the season with a record 24 victories. Under Kleinecke's leadership, the Aggies have made 16 NCAA appearances, including the last 11 consecutive years.
In the Rankings -- A&M and enters the tournament ranked 30th in the Campbell's/ITA College Tennis rankings, released April 26. The Aggies have been ranked as high as No. 25 (March 22). Their lowest ranking came in the first two rankings of the spring season, coming in at No. 36 in the Jan. 4 preseason ranking and 36th on Jan. 25 after the Aggies opened the season with a 6-1 loss at No. 22 Arkansas. As a team, A&M's highest ranked win was then-No. 32 Tulsa, 5-2, in the opening round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Durham, N.C.
Sophomore Nazari Urbina reached a career-high No. 11 singles rankings on Feb. 14, the highest by an A&M player since All-American Lynn Staley was ranked No. 10 on Sept. 18, 1991. Currently ranked No. 32, Urbina is the third highest ranked singles player in the Big 12 Conference.
Urbina is 15-7 against nationally ranked opponents. Her highest ranked win this spring was a 2-6, 7-6 (5), 1-0 (4) victory against 16th-ranked Aeriel Ellis on March 12 in Austin. It is the second highest ranked win in Urbina's career. In the fall, Urbina upset 13th-ranked Josipa Bek of Clemson in the main draw consolation round of 32 at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Senior Morgan Frank, who is riding a season-high seven-match winning streak, reappeared in the ITA singles this week at No. 98, equaling her highest in a springtime ranking and the third highest of her career. Her highest career ranking is No. 71 on Sept. 10, 2010.
Frank is 3-4 against ranked opponents in 2010-11. The highest ranked victory of her career was against No. 36 Lutfiana Budiharto of Wichita State in the first round of the qualifying singles bracket at the 2010 Riviera/ITA All-American Championships. Frank's highest ranked win of the dual season was a 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 victory against 39th-ranked Nina Secerbegovic on April 20 in College Station. Olivier, Davidson Garner Academic Honor -- Texas A&M's Sheri Olivier has been named to the Academic All-Big 12 Women's Tennis First Team and teammate Stephanie Davidson has been named to the second team, the Big 12 Conference announced Tuesday.
Olivier, a junior human resources development major from Topeka, Kan., is making her second consecutive appearance on the first team. Davidson, a senior sport management major from Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, is making her first appearance on the academic team.
To qualify for the Academic All-Big 12 Tennis Team, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of her team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team is made up of those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.
Olivier has held down the No. 3 doubles position for the Aggies this season. She is 15-10 overall, including 8-6 in dual matches. She paired with Davidson during a seven-match win streak in the early spring, and the pair is 7-2 in dual matches and 13-6 overall.
Davidson has been a regular in both the singles and doubles lineups. She is 16-15 overall and 10-10 in dual matches in singles, having seen action at the No. 4-6 positions this season. She is the team leader in doubles victories both overall (23-10) and in dual matches only (16-5), including 13-3 at the No. 3 line. Davidson enters the postseason with a 96-43 career doubles record, ranking fourth for most doubles victories in A&M history.
A&M Leads Nation in Home Attendance -- Texas A&M led the nation in total and average attendance at women's home tennis matches in the month of March and remains the current overall season leader in both categories.
The Aggies led the nation with 1,252 total fans and averaged 313 per match in four home matches played at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in March. For the full season, A&M leads the nation with a 2,733 total attendance and a 342 average. In addition, A&M drew 365 fans against Wake Forest on March 9, the largest single match attendance this season in the third annual ITA Attendance Race.
Looking Ahead to the NCAA Selections -- The Aggies are aiming to make their 12th consecutive and 17th overall appearance in the NCAA Championships when the 64-team field is revealed Tuesday, May 3 on www.NCAA.com. The announcement for of the women's bracket will begin at 4 p.m. (CT) and the men's bracket will be announced at 4:30 p.m. (CT). Once you navigate to NCAA.com, go to either the men's or women's tennis page to find the link.
The team brackets will be posted on the NCAA websites (www.NCAA.com and www.NCAA.org) 30 minutes after the completion of the selection show.
The list of individuals selected to the singles and doubles championships will be posted on both websites no later than 5 p.m. , Wednesday, May 4.
First- and second-round competition will be played May 13-15 at 16 sites. The winners at each of the 16 sites will advance to the final site, Stanford University, Stanford, California. The women's team championship competition will begin with the round of 16, Friday, May 20, and continue with the quarterfinals (Sunday, May 22), semifinals (Monday, May 23) and the national championship (Tuesday, May 24.)
Participants in the 64-player singles tournament and a 32-team doubles championship will be posted on NCAA.org May 5 before 5 p.m. (CDT). Those individuals selected will join the final 16 teams May 25 at Stanford. The first round of the singles bracket will be played Wednesday, May 25, with the doubles set to begin Thursday, May 26. Both the singles and doubles championship finals will be contested Monday, May 30.
Passing Shots -- Texas A&M enters the Big 12 Championship having won four of its last five matches...In the regular-season finale match against Texas Tech, the Aggies posted a 5-2 win against No. 41 Texas Tech in College Station to clinch the No. 4 seed and earn a first-round bye...A&M is 13-0 when it wins the doubles point and 1-7 when it loses the point...Senior Stephanie Davidson has 96 career doubles victories, ranking fourth in the A&M career records...A&M finished 9-2 in home matches and is 3-5 at away contests and 2-0 at neutral sites...Baylor assistant coach Alison Ojeda was an assistant coach at Texas A&M in 2003 and 2004 and helped direct the Aggies to a Big 12 regular season title in 2003 and the 2004 Big 12 tournament championship in 2004...Nebraska and Colorado will be playing in their final Big 12 Championship as they will be joining the Big Ten and Pac 12 conferences in July.