TicketsApril 26, 2011
BIG EAST Championship Bracket | BIG EAST Championship Central
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati tennis team (9-14, 5-5 BIG EAST) will be the No. 9 seed when the Bearcats play their first-round match in the BIG EAST Conference championship on Thursday. They'll face the 8-seeded Georgetown Hoyas (11-8, 7-2 BIG EAST) at 9 a.m. at Notre Dame University's Courtney Tennis Center. It marks the third time in three years under head coach Angela Wilson that the Bearcats have qualified for the conference tournament.
"I am really excited to be heading to BIG EAST tournament," Wilson said. "The year before I was hired, UC did not make the tournament. It's been the goal every year to make the championship. This year we have our strongest team going in. I am hopeful that we will play to our potential and have a great tournament."
The first-round action will be a rematch of a February 26 match which saw the Bearcats lose, 5-2, despite capturing the doubles point early. Sophomore Elise Woulfe earned victories at both the No. 5 single spot as well as at No. 2 doubles position with freshman teammate Ashleigh Witte. Sophomore Jasmine Lee and junior Safiyya Ismail also earned the doubles victory at No. 3.
"I think we overestimated them," Wilson said. "They had not made the BIG EAST tournament the past two years; we had not seen them or played them before. Now, we know they can play. Our lineup will be stronger, but it will be a tough match. I believe we can win. The girls are playing good tennis right now. We are building on some good tennis played at the end of the season to get us mentally ready for Georgetown."
The Bearcats ended the season with back-to-back one-point conference losses to No. 5 seed Marquette and No. 3 seed DePaul, giving UC just a taste of its full potential.
"We had `good' losses to DePaul and Marquette at the end of the season, so we know we can play with the top teams," Wilson said. "Our goal at the beginning of the year was to finish in the top six. We have to win the first match to get into contention for that spot."
Lee will be there to help achieve the team's goals, as she leads the Bearcats this season with a 15-8 record, including a 13-7 mark at the No. 2 singles position. The sophomore transfer is also 11-11 in doubles matches, including a 9-4 record with Ismail - the best doubles record for the Bearcats.
Ismail is on a three-match win streak en route to earning her 10-6 record this season. She most recently defeated Cali Gustafson of DePaul in singles competition, 6-3, 7-5.
After starting the season 0-4, Witte heads into the tournament on a five-match winning streak, including a three-set victory to close out the season against DePaul to improve her record to 13-10. The West Chester native also boasts a 13-10 doubles record, including a 7-4 mark with senior Ksenia Slynko.
The winner of Thursday's match will play Friday against No. 1 seed and 24th-ranked Notre Dame.
BIG EAST Championship Seeds
Women
1. Notre Dame
2. USF
3. DePaul
4. Louisville
5. Marquette
6. Rutgers
7. Syracuse
8. Georgetown
9. Cincinnati
10. St. John's
11. West Virginia
12. Connecticut