April 18, 2006

Two weeks after the men's team reached the semifinals at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships, the Dayton women's tennis team will conclude its season this weekend at the tournament. Play begins for the Flyers on Friday, April 21 in Monroeville, PA with an 8:00 AM dual match against Saint Louis.

The Flyers bring a 7-10 spring record into the tournament, earning them the tenth seed. Number two seed Charlotte awaits the winner of UD's match with the Billikens, who are the #7 seed. The two-time defending champion Richmond Spiders are this season's top seed at the Championships.

Dayton will look to improve on last season's school record sixth-place finish. Although UD does not have any seniors on the squad, they return three participants from last year's tournament play to this season's line-up, including current #1 and #2 singles players Allysa Detroy and Kate Mellion, along with sophomore Megan Gray. Gray finished this spring tied with freshman Carrie Trigilio for the team lead in singles wins with 10, and has won six of her last eight contests. While Detroy sports a 6-11 record at #1 singles, she has gotten hot at the right time. Detroy has won four of her last seven matches at #1. Detroy and Mellion have teamed up at #1 doubles, compiling a 6-11 record throughout the spring.

A trio of first-year players compliment the three returnees in the singles line-up for UD. Trigilio anchors the #6 slot, while Andrea Muresan has contributed with five victories, seeing most of her playing time at #5. Nikki Dzubay, a former A-10 Rookie of the Week, has stepped up into the #3 role with junior Kara Metzger out for the season following elbow surgery.

Should the Flyers defeat Saint Louis, match time with Charlotte is scheduled for 3:30 PM on Friday. Tournament play concludes on Sunday, April 23.