Women Earn NCAA Tourney Bid

BOULDER - For the first time under the direction of head coach Nicole Kenneally, the Colorado women's tennis team was selected as one of the 64 teams named to the 2003 NCAA Tennis Championships announced Wednesday afternoon.

CU will play Michigan (13-9) in the first round with the winner playing Louisiana-Monroe (20-5) or No. 1 seed/ranked Stanford (20-1) in Palo Alto, Calif. Times and dates are yet to be determined (May 9-11).

"This is the result of hard work and sacrifice," said CU four-year head coach Nicole Kenneally. "The girls in the beginning of the season made this one of their goals (NCAA Tournament) and I'm excited for them and the program."

The Colorado women are 14-8 and are coming off a Big 12 Tournament semifinal berth after upsetting top-seeded Baylor in the quarterfinals last Friday. The Buffs are ranked 37th nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) will be matched up with a Michigan team ranked 42nd and losers of its last four of five matches.

The CU/Michigan match up will only be its second ever with the Wolverines winning 4-3 back in 1983.

It's the first NCAA post-season berth for the women's team since 1999 when they fell to No. 26 South Alabama.

Colorado women's tennis notes:

- ranked 37th nationally

- have defeated eight nationally ranked teams this spring

- biggest win over a ranked opponent was No. 24 Oklahoma (April 19)

- upset No. 1 seed Baylor at Big 12 Tournament Quarterfinals

- advanced to the Big 12 semifinals for the first time since 1998

- 14 wins are the most since 1999

- won three matches in a row, twice

- five conference wins were the most since 1999

- No. 8 seed in Big 12 Tournament

- became the first eighth seed or higher to defeat a team fourth or higher in the seven-year history of the Big 12

- Sophomore Kendra Strandemo and Morgan Sall won 24 and 22 matches, respectively during the 2002-03 season

- No. 4 through No. 6 spring singles positions was 39-10

- Morgan Sall, Kendra Strandemo and Jessica Vanderdys were a combined 60-26 for the year

- Dominique Lemperle was the lone player to be ranked by the ITA this season (111th in singles)

- Dominique Lemperle and Lia Dimingo won 67 and 51 career singles matches, respectively; Lemperle is the 14th CU women's tennis player to win over 67 singles matches; Dimingo is the 20th women to win over 51 singles matches.

- Big 12 Position Champions: Kendra Strandemo (No. 4 singles), Morgan Sall (No. 6 singles), Sarah Burrows/Jessica Vanderdys (No. 3 Doubles)

- First-Team All-Big 12 Singles (Dominique Lemperle)

- First-Team All-Big 12 Doubles (Lia Dimingo / Dominique Lemperle)