Oct. 10, 2007
Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's tennis team continues fall play when they host the Mizzou Invitational Friday through Sunday (Oct. 12-14) at the Green Tennis Center in Columbia. The Tigers will host five other teams in the tournament; Iowa State, Illinois State, Murray State, Saint Louis, and Drake. Play will start at 9:30 a.m. each day, on the Green Tennis Center's courts, as well as a site to be determined.
The tournament will feature three singles draws. The "A" or Tiger Roar draw will showcase some of the best singles players in the region. The "B" or Tiger Stripe division and the "C" or Tiger Cub division will also host exciting fall singles matches. In addition to singles play, there will also be two doubles draws.
Action gets underway Friday (Oct. 12) at 9:30 a.m., and will continue all day, with two doubles rounds and the first round of singles play. Saturday (Oct. 13) a third doubles round will start at 9:30 a.m., followed by the second round of singles play. The third round of singles action will get underway in the afternoon. Sunday (Oct. 14) the finals of the doubles and singles rounds will take place, starting with doubles at 9:30 a.m.
Mizzou's three returners; senior Chrissy Svetlic, junior Raquel Wagner and sophomore Kaitlin Dunham, look to provide leadership on and off the court. Svetlic led the team with 19 wins last year, and she also posted 17 doubles victories, which tied her for third on last year's team with Wagner. Wagner finished with the second-most singles wins, 18, including a team-high five Big 12 victories.
The Tigers also have four new players; three freshmen, Kaitlyn Ritchie, Maureen Modesto and Mallory Weber, and one transfer, junior Sofia Ayala, from the University of Alabama. Ayala collected seven singles and six doubles wins in her short career in Tuscaloosa, helping the Crimson Tide win the Southeastern Conference's West Division in 2006.
The new Mizzou players joined the returners for two fall events thus far, where many Tigers found success. Svetlic and Weber won the doubles championship in the Maryland Invitational in September. Weber and Ritchie won the Drake Invitational doubles title, while Weber won the singles title. Modesto also won the B flight singles championship in the Drake Invitational.