Dual Season Beings for No. 38 Women's Tennis at ITA Kick-Off Weekend
1/22/2015 9:31:00 AM | Women's Tennis
| 2015 ITA KICKOFF WEEKEND | ||
| Date Venue Location ITA Kick-Off Hub Live Stats Social Hashtags |
Jan. 24-25 Ken Byers Tennis Complex Atlanta Georgia 2015 ITA Kick-Off Site Info RamblinWreck.com/LiveStats @GoColumbiaLions | @CU_WT #TurnItBlue | #ITAKickoff |
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NEW YORK – The No. 38 Columbia women's tennis team will begin its 2015 schedule this weekend as it competes at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. The Lions will first take the court at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex Saturday, Jan. 24 versus No. 18 Georgia Tech and will then face No. 19 Oklahoma State or No. 29 Texas Tech, Sunday, Jan. 25. Both matches are set to begin at 10 a.m.
STAY SOCIAL
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#ITAKICKOFF
To follow the action at all Kickoff events use the official hashtag #ITAKickoff to see content from participating schools, coaches, student-athletes and the ITA.
KICKING OFF 2015
The ITA Kick-Off Weekend features 15 campus sites nationwide with four teams at each site vying to advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. The 15 women's teams to win both matches during ITA Kick-Off Weekend will advance to the 2015 ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championships, hosted by Virginia at the Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Virginia, Feb. 6-9.
| DATE Saturday, Jan. 24 Sunday, Jan. 25 |
TIME 10 a.m. 2 p.m. 10 a.m. 2 p.m. |
MATCH #18 Georgia Tech vs. #40 Columbia #19 Oklahoma State vs. #31 Texas Tech Consolation Match Championship Match |
TO BE THE BEST, YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST
At the ITA Kickoff weekend in Atlanta, the Lions will see seven singles players and four doubles pairs ranked in the ITA.
| SINGLES | DOUBLES | |||||
| NAME Viktoriya Luhkova Lynn Kiro Katarina Adamovic Johnnise Renaud Natasha Prokhnevska Sarah Dvorak Paige Houngan |
SCHOOL OSU Texas Tech OSU GT GT Texas Tech GT |
RANK 10 35 53 63 81 89 121 |
TEAM Lushkova/Laurente Anton-Ohlmeyer/Prokopuik Federici/Boscher Jiang/Leung |
SCHOOL OSU GT Texas Tech Columbia |
RANK 5 28 38 42 |
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SCOUTING NO. 18 GEORGIA TECH
The 18th-ranked Yellow Jacks launch their dual schedule this weekend after closing out the 2014 spring season with 14-10 overall record, 9-5 mark against ACC opponents and an appearance in the NCAA Championships first and second rounds. Georgia Tech returns three veteran leaders in juniors Megan Kurey, Nataha Prokhnevska and Kendal Woodard. Kurey and Woodard captured the 2013 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Doubles championship and won the 2013 ITA/USTA Southeast Regional Doubles title. Woodard, an All-ACC First Team selection, won a team-best 30 doubles matches last season. Prokhnevska is tabbed as the 81st singles player in the nation while Johnnise Renaud is the top Yellow Jacket on the list at 63rd and Paige Houngan rounds out the ranked players at 121st.
SCOUTING NO. 19 OKLAHOMA STATE
In a double-header season opener Jan. 17, the Cowgirls shutout San Jose State and Louisiana Teach to carry a 2-0 record into ITA Kickoff play. The fifth-ranked pair of Viktoriya Lushkova and Kelsey Laurente boasted Oklahoma State at the top spot on the doubles court while Laurente played as the Cowgirls' ace in singles action.
SCOUTING NO. 29 TEXAS TECH
The Red Raiders, which are coming off a 17-9 season, returns five players off of last season's NCAA Tournament led by sophomore Lynn Kiro, who was 29-6 last season and set a Texas Tech record by winning sixteen straight matches to close out the 2014 campaign.
FALL FALLBACK
In the fall, the Lions competed in four invites and sent players to the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships and ITA Northeast Regional Championships. At the regional event, the trio of first-year Rima Asatrian, sophomore Tina Jiang and senior Kanika Vaidya put on a historic showing and advanced to the singles main draw quarterfinals. It was on the doubles court that the Lions picked up the title, however, as Vaidya and Asatrian captured the doubles crown to qualify for the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships.
LAST TIME OUT
On the second day of the 2014 USTA/ITA National Indoor Collegiate Championships at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the Columbia women's tennis team was represented on the singles and doubles consolation court.
MORE READING: Women's Tennis Takes the Consolation Court at 2014 USTA/ITA NIIC
LOOK WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN
Columbia returns seven letterwinners in 2014-15 from a team that earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships for the first time in program history with a 16-5 overall record, which included an 11-match win streak, and 5-2 mark against Ivy League opponents.
Among the returners is Kanika Vaidya a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League single selection from a year ago. The junior held down the Lions top sot for the majority of 2013-14 and produced an 11-6 dual record and 4-3 mark against Ancient Eight opponents.
Tina Jiang comes back to Morningside Heights for her second season after earning a spot on the conference's second team after a perfect year, going 7-0 in league play and 17-0 in all dual matches at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. Jiang and her doubles partner Crystal Leung, who were recognized with second team All-Ivy League double team honors a year ago, posted an undefeated performance, 15-0 in dual play and 6-0 in Ivy League action, at the No. 2 slot will don Columbia Blue again.
Also returning for Columbia is Vivian Cheng, Amy Li, Alice Song and Nada Zaher.
FIRST-YEAR FOUR-PACK
Head coach Ilene Weintraub welcomed five members of the class of 2018 to Morningside Heights for 2014-15. The five-pack made up of Rima Asatrian, Lindsey Mendelson, Adi Milstein and Alexandra Solovyev represents three different states and on Canadian province.
MORE READING: Women's Tennis Bolsters Roster with Four recruits for 2014-15
ON THE SIDELINES
Ilene Weintraub enters her eighth season at the helm of the Lions. Under her guidance, Columbia won the program's first Ivy League title in 2013 and earned a top-40 national ranking in 2014 en route to the team's first at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament in program history. Weintraub, who competed in Columbia Blue from 1999-2002, boasts a 67-70 overall record and a 16-33 mark against the Ancient Eight.
LEADERS OF THE LIONS
A pair has been elected to lead the Lions as co-captains this season as seniors Crystal Leung and Amy Li share the leadership responsibilities.
MORE READING: Leung, Li Tabbed 2014-15 Women's Tennis Captains
HALL OF FAMER
Columbia women's tennis saw its former standout Milena Koachar'07CC inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame October 23. The four-time All-Ivy League honoree remains the only Lion to be named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, earning the accolade in 2004 after going 5-2 against the Ancient Eight with a 13-5 overall record.
MORE READING: Hall of Fame Series: Women's Tennis' Milena Kachar '07CC
WHAT'S NEXT
Columbia will open the home portion of its schedule Friday, Jan. 30 when it welcomes New York City rival St. John's to the Dick Savitt Tennis Center. The Lions and the Red Storm will take the court at 2 p.m.
