University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols to Host 2009 ITA Indoor Regional Championship
June 05, 2008 | Men's Tennis
The Tennessee men???s tennis team will host Drake, Harvard and Louisville in one of 15 regionals in the 2009 ITA National Team Indoor Championship. The first round matches will pit UT against Harvard while Drake and Louisville will battle in the other match. The regional is scheduled to run Jan. 31-Feb. 1 with matches beginning at 10 a.m. on both days.??
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???It???s a great event and the expansion they???ve decided to do has created a big buzz around the tennis community,??? UT head coach Sam Winterbotham said. ???It???s like starting the season with a major tournament. I???m glad we???re getting to host the first two rounds and I hope we get a big crowd out to support us.?????
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In the past, the Indoor Championship field has been selected before the season began and there were no play-in matches. This season the ITA selected 15 schools to host first and second round matches. The rest of the field was given the opportunity to pick were they would go for the regional.??
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The 15 schools that win both of their matches at the regional will be invited to play in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships at the Midtown Tennis Club in Chicago, Feb. 13-16.??
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The Knoxville regional consists of three schools that made the NCAA tournament in 2008. Drake and Harvard both advanced to the NCAA tournament this past season. Drake was one of only two teams to go through the regular season undefeated. Harvard advanced to the NCAA tournament after winning the Ivy League title. The Crimson returns eight members for the 2009 season. Louisville did not make the tournament but still put together a respectable 17-8 record in 2008. The Cardinals had one of the nation???s top freshman last season in Austen Childs who finished the season ranked 46th.??
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The Vols will return most of their singles and doubles lineup. Freshmen Boris Conkic, Matteo Fago, John-Patrick Smith and Jeremy Tweedt were all regulars in the singles and doubles lineup this spring and all are expected to return for their sophomore seasons. Sophomore Davey Sandgren was also a regular contributor and is expected back as well.??
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