Women's Tennis Kicks Off Fall Season at Wake Forest

DURHAM, N.C.-The Duke University women's tennis team kicks off the 2009 fall season this weekend, traveling to the Wake Forest Fall Invitational. The seven-team tournament runs from Sept. 26-28 at Leighton Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Matches each day will start at 9 a.m., regardless of weather conditions. Every day will start with one round of doubles, which will be followed by singles play. Each athlete will play three doubles and four singles matches for the weekend.

The tournament will feature Davidson, Duke, UNC Greensboro, Illinois, Old Dominion, Richmond and Wake Forest.

The Blue Devils hold three of the top four seeds in singles, including the top two spots. Junior Reka Zsilinszka earned the No. 1 seed and will take on Kelly Tidwell of Richmond in her opening match. Ranked 13th in the country, Zsilinszka is coming off of a 41-8 sophomore season. Garnering the second seed is junior Ellah Nze. The No. 19-ranked player will battle Alex Whitehead of UNC Greensboro in her first singles match.

Seeded fourth, senior Amanda Granson will duel Virginia Berry in her first singles match of the day. Senior Liz Plotkin returns after nearly two years away from the court due to injuries. She rounds out the Duke lineup in the A-flight and will go up against No. 41 Megan Fudge of Illinois.

New to the Duke program, Monica Gorny is the top seed in the B-flight. A transfer from Miami University, Gorny will take on Breanne Smutko in her first singles match as a Blue Devil.

Nze and Zsilinszka headline the doubles lineup as the top seed. Partners for each of the past two seasons, they will play the duo of Isabel Arana and Alexandra Smyth of Richmond. Granson and Gorny will team up as the second seed. The new pair will face Ali Gores and Teresa Wang of Davidson.

The Blue Devils will compete next at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championship.

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