April 19, 2006
2006 Atlantic 10 Championship Bracket
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The Duquesne University women's tennis team closes out its regular season this weekend at Club 4 Life in Monroeville - the Dukes' home court - with the 2006 Atlantic 10 Championship. The Dukes enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed. DU is 9-7 this spring which includes a 3-1 mark vs. Atlantic 10 members. The A-10 Championship runs Friday through Sunday, Apr. 21-23.
Duquesne's No. 5 seed is the second-highest ever for the Red & Blue who will take on twelfth-seeded Saint Joseph's beginning at approximately 1:00 pm Friday afternoon. The winner will advance to face the either fourth-seeded UMass or thirteenth-seeded La Salle Saturday at 8:00 am. Duquesne's highest seed was in 2002 at fourth. All matches at the A-10 Championship are played to decision beginning with doubles.
Leading Duquesne is junior Jackie Hughes (McKeesport, Pa.) who owns an 11-4 second singles record and an 8-6 mark at first doubles this spring. Freshman Rebecca Poole (Swindon, Wiltshire, UK) is 10-4 at third singles and 8-6 at first doubles with Hughes. Poole is also a two-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week. Sophomore Johanna Bezjak (Salisbury, Md.) solidifies first singles (4-8) and second doubles (7-4) followed by sophomore Andrea Sailer (Tucson, Ariz.) at fourth singles (5-10); junior Alicia McNamara (North Augusta, S.C) and freshman Alexandria Albano (East Amherst, N.Y.) at fifth singles going 6-1 and 3-5 respectively and McNamara (6-2) Albano (1-3) and freshman Abigail Ball (Ebensburg, Pa.) at sixth singles (2-2). Bezjak teams with Sailer (4-4) at second doubles, but Sailer has also seen time at third doubles where she was 3-3 this spring. Securing third doubles is junior Ciara McDermott (Columbus, Ohio) and Albano who are 5-4 this spring.
The youthful Dukes, who do not have a senior on the roster, four times have finished as high as fifth in the Conference tournament - 2002, 2001, 2000 (tie) and 1996.
The Atlantic 10 Champion receives an automatic bid into the NCAA championship.
