University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Prepare for the ITA kickoff Weekend
1/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
Fort Worth, Texas â€" The No. 42 University of Houston women's tennis team heads on the road for the second weekend in a row to join TCU, Ohio State and Pepperdine for the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Fort Worth, Texas January 22-24.
Houston will go head-to-head with the Horned Frogs from TCU on Friday, Jan. 22 at 2 p.m. to get the weekend going. From there Houston will face the winner or loser from the Ohio State and Pepperdine depending on the results from the first round matches.
The No. 22 TCU tennis team opened the spring season at the Wildcat Duals in Illinois last weekend. The Horned Frogs defeated No. 34 DePaul University, 8-2, to open the weekend before ultimately falling to both No. 26 Northwestern, 6-4 and No. 15 Alabama, 5-3.
Ohio State and Pepperdine will face off Friday morning, prior to the Cougars taking on the Horned Frogs. The results from Friday's matches will determine whether the Coogs will face Pepperdine or Ohio State in either the consolation game held on Saturday at 4 p.m. or the championship game on Sunday at 10 a.m.
Pepperdine began the season ranked No. 19 in the country with help from singles player, No. 14 Luisa Stefani, as well as three doubles teams in the top 50. This weekend will be the first appearance for the team during the 2016 season.
Also no stranger to the ITA rankings is No. 18 Ohio State, who is led by the second highest nationally ranked singles player, Francesca Di Lorenzo. Di Lorenzo is joined in the rankings by two doubles teams in the top 50. The Buckeyes began 2016 with a sweep at home, where they defeated Bowling Green, 7-0, and Xavier, 6-1 last weekend.
Despite the Coogs falling to the Razorbacks, 6-1, in Arkansas this past weekend, Despoina Vogasari and Tina Rupert found some success on the court. The duo won their doubles match, 6-4, but were unable to secure a point for Houston due to Arkansas success on the other two courts. No. 34 Vogasari however, did score a point in singles competition when she won her match 6-4, 2-6, 10-7.
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The Cougars are proud to introduce the Center Court Club, a restricted-giving program that directly impacts the needs of the University of Houston Tennis program. Gifts to the Center Court Club provide financial support directly to the University of Houston Tennis program for needs beyond the program's operating budget. Revenue generated from the Center Court Club is used at the discretion of the Head Coach for program enhancements. Membership in the Center Court Club is annual and requires a minimum $100 gift.
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WINNER
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ACE
For a minimum gift of $500, supporters receive a team poster and a signed tennis ball, private practice invitation and a stadium blanket.
US OPEN
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GRAND SLAM
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Players Mentioned
