Tennis: Burton and LaFortune Head to Regionals
October 21, 2009 03:19 PM | General
By Tiffany Doolittle for MSNsportsNET.com
October 21, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University tennis players Stephanie LaFortune and Monique Burton will travel to Blacksburg, Va., on Thursday, Oct. 22-26, for the ITA Regional competition.
“We are proud to have Monique and Stephanie representing WVU in this prestigious and important regional ranking event,” coach Marc Walters says. “Monique is playing solid tennis with a good practice flow and Steph is playing relaxed and healthy, so we are in a good place going into this event.”
The tournament, which will be the last event of the fall season for Lafortune and Burton, will feature players from the BIG EAST, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Colonial Athletic Association and the Atlantic 10. All participants will be competing for a spot in the national event, which will be held in November.
LaFortune will begin play on Thursday at 8 a.m. in the qualifying singles competition. The senior must win two matches to earn one of the eight open spots. Burton, a redshirt junior, will compete on Friday at 9 a.m. in the main singles draw, along with 64 other competitors.
On Saturday, the duo will compete in doubles play. Should the pair advance, they will play on Sunday in the semifinals. The tournament concludes on Monday, with the finals in singles and doubles play.
“Both of have worked extremely hard on and off the court to be at a level where they can compete against top teams, and I feel they are capable of making a serious run in this field,” Walters adds. “Their competitive drive and solid team play will make them a tough team in doubles, and I am certain they will gain a lot of valuable experience while competing this weekend.”
