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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's tennis team will take on Virginia, the No. 14 overall seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, Saturday at the Snyder Tennis Center. The Knights and the Cavaliers will play their first round match at 12 p.m., with Texas and William & Mary meeting in the other first round match at 9 a.m. The first round winners will meet in the second round at 1 p.m. on Sunday for a trip to the round of 16 next weekend at Illinois.

FDU (11-6) is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance and second straight. The Knights also faced Virginia last year in their first-ever trip to the tournament, falling to the Cavaliers, 4-0.

The Burgundy and Blue earned their NCAA berth by winning the Northeast Conference in a thrilling 4-3 victory over Quinnipiac two Sundays ago. FDU also swept Robert Morris and Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals and semifinals before taking the conference crown.

NEC Coach of the Year Jonathan Buchman and the Knights has won nine of their last 10 matches entering Friday's tilt with the Wahoos.
FDU, which is led by two-tie 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 at No. 1 singles, has gone 14-11 so far this season, including a perfect 7-0 in the conference.

Four starters in the Knights' singles starting lineup were honored with First or Second Team All-NEC recognition. Rapoport (No. 1), freshman Celine Maier (Nuremberg, Germany /Bertolt-Brecht-Schule Nuremberg) (No. 4) and sophomore Dina Guzairova (Sochi, Russia/Chelyabinsk #8 ) (No. 5) ade the first team, while NEC Rookie of the Year Nicole Chis (Highland Park, N.J./Highland Park) earned second team honors at No. 3.

In doubles, Rapoport and Chis made First Team All-NEC at No. 1 and Guzairova and junior Manuela Leme (Varginha, Brazil/E.E. Antania Alves Cruz) were tabbed first team at No. 3. Maier and senior Egzona Morina (Prishtina, Kosovo/American School of Kosovo) was selected Second Team All-NEC at No. 2.

Virginia (17-9) is hosting the NCAA first and second round for the fourth consecutive year and participating in their school-best fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament and 14th overall. The Cavaliers have advanced to the Round of 16 each of the last two seasons.

The Wahoos are led by All-ACC and ACC Freshman of the Year Julia Elbaba, who is ranked No. 12 in the country, is 17-7 in dual play and has recorded 33 victories on the year. Fellow classmate and All-ACC selection Stephanie Nauta is ranked No. 78 in the nation and has 28 wins to her credit.

Before losing in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament to Florida State, Virginia had won 14 of 16 matches after starting out the season 3-6.

A win by FDU would earn them a spot in the second round with a match against the winner of Texas versus William & Mary on Sunday at 1 p.m.