The women's tennis fall preseason is coming to an end at the ITARegionals in Kalamazoo this weekend, but the preseason may be tooshort for Head Coach Kathy Bull.
"It's hard to believe it's time to go to this tournament," shesaid. "It's been a very short fall season. I wish we had a couplemore weeks."
The team has 3 singles players and at least one doubles team inthe tournament. Jill Wieman and Katie Owans will begin inqualifying singles, and Melissa Roach will begin in the main draw.The team of Roach and Owans made the doubles main draw.
"First off, this is a prestigious [event]," Coach Bull said. "Iam very happy to have four players in the tournament and happy tosee Melissa in main draw."
Owans and Wieman will be seeing familiar opponents in the firstround of qualifying singles. Owans will face Hannah Hilton ofCincinnati, whom she lost to at the Spartan Cup two weekends ago.Wieman will face Toledo's Viviana Ribero, whom she upset at theSpartan Cup. Coach Bull knows that the quality of their opponentsis staggering.
"Every match you play at this tournament is hard," she said. "Weare going to play for pride and [the] school's tennisreputation."
While they have seen many of their opponents before, Coach Bullthinks things may be better this time around.
"We have gotten stronger and I think we have a betterunderstanding of the strategy of the game."
The first round of qualifying begins at 9 a.m. with the round of64, followed immediately by the round of 32. Friday the Main DrawDoubles begin, and the qualifying singles end. Eight players willadvance from qualifications into the Main Draw.
The ITA Regionals will be the last time the team will seecompetition before IPFW comes to Ball State in three months. Butthat doesn't mean the team won't be busy during that time.
"I don't want to sound negative," Coach Bull said, "but Ibelieve we've pointed out what our weakness are, and it's our jobto get rid of them before January."
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