2010 Long Island Women's Tennis NCAA Media Guide
Brooklyn, N.Y. - The Northeast Conference champion Long Island University women's tennis team will take on No. 10 Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Charlottesville, Va. The Blackbirds and Blue Devils will meet at 11:00 a.m. Live stats will be available by clicking here.
Long Island is making its second NCAA appearance after locking up its second consecutive NEC title on April 18 with a 4-2 win over Fairleigh Dickinson. The Blackbirds finished the season 14-3 and will take a five-match winning streak into NCAA Tournament play.
Long Island is led by two-time NEC Player of the Year Selma Babic. Babic went 19-1 in singles play this season, including a 14-1 mark in dual matches at the No. 1 spot. She has won 13 straight matches and was named to the All-NEC First Team at No. 1 singles and the all-conference second team at No. 1 doubles along with freshman Aleksandra Pavlovic. At No. 2, freshman Linn Sjogren compiled a 10-10 mark, going 8-6 in dual matches.
Pavlovic plays No. 3 for the Blackbirds. In her first season in Brooklyn, she ran up a record of 15-13, including a 10-7 mark in dual-match action. At. No. 4, freshman Taysha Blessington earned a spot on the All-NEC Second Team. She went 14-12 overall with a 12-5 dual-match record. Blessington also garnered second team accolades at No. 2 doubles with senior H'Ann Johnson. Johnson has seen action at both the fifth and sixth spots for Long Island, taking home All-NEC First Team honors at the latter position by going 6-0. She was 7-2 overall, all in dual matches.
The No. 3 doubles duo of senior Stephanie Elie and junior Dara Lahens were members of the All-NEC First Team, 18-7 (12-4 overall). In singles, Elie was 7-10 (7-6 dual), seeing most of her action at No. 5. Lahens spent time at both the fifth and sixth slots, compiling a 5-8 (4-4 dual) mark.
Duke is making its 22nd consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The 2009 NCAA champions have compiled a 19-7 record this season and are ranked 10th in the Intercollegiat Tennis Association's most recent rankings. The 10th seed in the 64-team tournament, the Blue Devils fell to Florida State, 4-2, in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on April 23.
Last season, the Blackbirds drew No. 8 seed California in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and fell to the Golden Bears, 4-0, on May 8.