Tulane University
#13 Auburn
Women's Tennis Meets Auburn at ITA Kickoff Weekend
Jan 26, 2018 | Women's Tennis
LIVE SCORING
NEW ORLEANSÂ - After sweeping a pair of in-state foes in a season-opening doubleheader last Sunday, the Tulane women's tennis team will travel to Auburn, Ala., to compete in ITA Kickoff Weekend against 13th-ranked Auburn on Saturday, January 27. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. (CT).
The winner of Saturday's match will advance to face the winner of 17th-ranked Miami (Fla.) and UC Santa Barbara on Sunday at 1 p.m., while the consolation match will be played beforehand at 10 a.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Tulane picked up a pair of 4-0 sweeps over Northwestern State and the University of New Orleans to begin the spring dual match season on Sunday, Jan. 21. Sophomores Ivone Alvaro and Christina Sisti both posted 2-0 singles marks at the No. 3 and No. 5 spots in the lineup, respectively, to lead the Green Wave.
SCOUTING AUBURN
The Tigers own a 3-0 record this spring, including victories over Oklahoma, UL Monroe and Georgia State. Auburn possesses two ranked singles players, including No. 53 Jaeda Daniel and No. 77 Taylor Russo, as well as the No. 31 doubles team comprising Russo and Alizee Michaud.
Last season, the Tigers reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, which included wins over DePaul and Florida State, before falling to Texas Tech in the third round.
ALVARO'S DUAL WIN STREAK
Ivone Alvaro has won 13-straight decisions in dual singles matches dating back to last season. She tied the for second on the team in dual wins (18) with Sisti last season, just one behind Muller.
BUILDING ON 20
Tulane posted its first 20-win season in the post-Katrina era by going 22-7 in 2016-17. The year was highlighted by the program's first top-30 win in the post-Katrina era with a 4-3 victory over then No. 28 LSU. The Wave also went 4-0 against American opponents, defeating the likes of UConn, UCF, USF and Houston.
VETERAN MAKEUP
Tulane not only returns a strong cast comprising five letterwinners from last year's team, but each of them finished the 2017 spring campaign at the No. 2-6 spots in the singles lineup, including senior Sade Atkinson, juniors Elena Muller and Sofia Kurtz, and sophomores Christina Sisti and Ivone Alvaro.
NEW FACES
The Green Wave welcomes three newcomers, including sophomore Laura Fabrizi who played her debut season at FAU in 2016-17, as well as freshmen Daniela La Fuente and Alex Alegre.
ABOUT #ITAKickOff
There are 15 "regionals" played on both the men's and women's side, with four teams competing in each regional. The winners of the single-elimination event advance to next month's ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championships. Wisconsin (women's) and Washington (men's) will serve as hosts for the National Team Indoors and received automatic invitations to the event, and are exempt from competing in the Kick-Off Weekend.
Host sites for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend were determined using the final 2016-17 Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings. A draft was held to fill the No.'s 2-4 seeds at all locations, again using the final national team rankings as a guide to determine draft order.
Opening round contests at each location pits the No. 1 (host) seed versus the No. 4 seed, and the No. 2 seed against the No. 3 seed. The two winners advance to the following day's championship match, while the two losing teams will square off in a consolation match.
To view Kick-Off Weekend matchups for both men and women, visit the official event page. Results for each regional site will be updated throughout the weekend. You can also follow the conversation on social media by using the #ITAKickOff hashtag.
Players Mentioned
