NCAA Tournament Information  /  Live Stats

The Fairleigh Dickinson women's tennis team will compete in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history when the Knights take on No. 14 Virginia on Friday, May 11, at 2 p.m. at UVA's Snyder Tennis Center in Charlottesville, VA.

FDU (16-7) earned their NCAA berth by winning the Northeast Conference Championship in a 4-2 victory over defending NEC champion Quinnipiac at the Mercer County Indoor Tennis Center in West Windsor, NJ on April 22.

NEC Coach of the Year Ira Miller and the Knights have won 11 of their last 13 matches entering Friday's match with UVA. A win in the first round will send FDU onto the second round where they would face the winner of Tennessee versus VCU at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

FDU, which is led by NEC Player of the Year Anna Rapoport (Moscow, Russia/#1239 ), is trying to become the first NEC team to win a set and a match in the NCAA Tournament. A First Team All-NEC selection for No. 1 singles, Rapoport has gone 18-3 so far this season including 4-0 in the conference and earlier this season held a No. 125 ranking nationally.

All six of FDU's starting singles players were honored by the NEC with Rapoport (No. 1), Elmine Botes (Heidelberg Gauteng, Rep. of South Africa/Hoer Volkskool and British International Distance College) (No. 2), Irina Dementyeva (Moscow, Russia/W 91) (No. 4), Egzona Morina (Prishtina, Kosovo/American School of Kosovo) (No. 5) and Manuela Leme (Varginha, Brazil/E.E. Antania Alves Cruz) (No. 6) earning First Team All-NEC accolades, while Julia Prantl (Benediktbeuern, Germany/GUS-Gymnasium Bad Tolz) (No. 3) picked up Second Team All-NEC.

The Knights have been able to jump on their opponents early in doubles play and have compiled a 14-1 mark when they win the doubles point this season.

Virginia (18-7) enters the NCAA Tournament with a singles lineup that includes four players ranked in the top 125 in the nation.  The Cavaliers' No. 1 singles player Emily Fraser, who has won 27 matches on the season, currently ranks No. 22.

Leading the team with 30 singles wins on the season, Lindsey Hardenberg, Virginia's No. 2 player is the No. 43 collegiate player in the country. Moving down the lineup, Li Xi at No. 3 checks in at No 118, while Hana Tomljanovic, UVA's No. 4 player is ranked No. 125. Virginia's No. 1 doubles pairing of Fraser/Xi ranks 31 nationally and the No. 2 duo of Tomljanovic/Vierra is ranked No. 43.

The Cavaliers are tournament tested after having reached the NCAA Round of 16 last season. Entering Friday however, Virginia has gone 3-3 in its last six matches including a 4-0 loss to No. 2 Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference Semifinals on April 21.  

Throughout the season, Friday's home team has scored marquee wins over No. 13 Georgia Tech, No. 20 Alabama and No. 22 Clemson as well as other ranked teams.