Aug. 11, 2008

MEMPHIS - Members of the University of Memphis men's and women's tennis team travel to the campus of the University of Indiana for the 2008 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Summer National Championships. The ITA Summer National Championships serve as the apex of the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit, which took place this July at 26 different sites across the nation.

The tournament will run from Monday, Aug. 11, to Friday, Aug. 15. Nearly 200 players from various universities will be taking part in the singles portion of the tournament. The Tigers competing against some of the country's best collegiate tennis players are; Amanda Brown, Spencer Heflin, Ashley Murdock, Leon Nasemann, Marjorie Ondeck, Charlie Ramsay, Jordan Smith and Dara Toulch.

Leading off singles competition for Memphis will be Jordan Smith and Charlie Ramsay. Both members of the U of M men's tennis team will kick off their matches at 9 a.m., on Monday. Smith, a native of Memphis, posted a 3-10 dual record in his first season as a Tiger. The sophomore competed at the No. 3 and No. 4 spots for the U of M. Smith is the 16th seed in the tournament, the highest ranking of any Memphis tennis player. He will take on Michael Baugh in the first round of competition. In the event that Smith defeats Baugh, he will compete in a second round match against Tyler Davis of Notre Dame, which will take place at 3 p.m. Davis posted a 12-6 record in his freshman season with the Fighting Irish.

Ramsay, who posted a 9-11 mark for the Tigers in 2008, will face-off with Mak Kendall of the host-school, Indiana Hoosiers. Kendall posted a 12-8 dual record during the 2006-07 season, but did not compete for the Hoosiers last season. In the event that Ramsay wins, he will move on to second round competition against another Big Ten opponent in the form of Chris Madden of Michigan. Madden garnered a 16-6 record in his first season at Michigan.

The second group of singles players will begin their matches at 10:30 a.m., on Monday, or at the conclusion of the first set of matches. Both Heflin and Naseman will begin their days at 10:30. Heflin will dual with Jon Wegener of Ball State. Heflin was 0-1 in his lone dual match last season. His opponent, Wegener, is entering his freshman season at Ball State. Heflin will move on to a 4:30 p.m., second round battle with Lachlan Ferguson, in the event of a first round victory.

Nasemann, a sophomore for the U of M, enters a first round match with Patrick Dwyer of Iowa. Nasemann posted a 9-9 dual record in 2008, while competing at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. In his competition, the Hawkeye's Dwyer, posted a mark of 2-6 in his freshman season.

The girls will start singles play at Noon, with a match featuring the Lady Tigers' Ondeck. Ondeck faces Emily Dudzik of Western Michigan in the opening round. Ondeck's 2008 record was 12-7. She spent most of her time at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions in the U of M lineup. Dudzik posted a 10-8 dual split. If Ondeck wins she will face Molly Scott of Dartmouth at 4:30 on Monday.

The rest of the Lady Tigers earned first round byes and will begin play at 1:30 on Monday. Brown, a junior from Whitby, Ontario, posted a 5-14 mark in 2008. She faces Lindsay Kinstler of USC in the second round. Kinstler finished the 2008 season with a record of 4-1 in her freshman season.

Toulch, a junior from Montreal, Quebec, finished the year with a 7-8 record in 2008. She faces off with Anamika Bhargava of Pepperdine in the second round. Bhargava, is originally from Collierville, Tenn. She teamed with Anete Bandere to form the nation's 35th-ranked doubles team in 2008.

Murdock, who transferred to Memphis from LSU last season, spent most of the year as the Tigers' No. 1 singles player. She finished the season registering a 15-4 dual record. She takes on Amanda Moccia of Western Michigan in the second round. Moccia, was the Bronco's No. 1 singles player. She went undefeated in conference play, finishing with a 10-0 record. She also earned All-Mac Tournament team honors after winning both of her singles matches.

 

Monday's Schedule
First Round
9:00 a.m.- Jordan Smith, Memphis vs. Michael Baugh, Unattached
9:00 a.m.- Charlie Ramsay, Memphis vs. Mak Kendall, Indiana
10:30 a.m.- Spencer Heflin, Memphis vs. Jon Wegener, Ball State
10:30 a.m.- Leon Nasemann, Memphis vs. Patrick Dwyer, Iowa
Noon- Marjorie Ondeck, Memphis vs. Emily Dudzik, Western Michigan
Second Round
1:30 p.m.- Amanda Brown, Memphis vs. Lindsay Kinstler, USC
1:30 p.m.- Dara Toulch, Memphis vs. Anamika Bhargava, Pepperdine
1:30 p.m.- Ashley Murdock, Memphis vs. Amanda Moccia, Western Michigan