News of the Day 032

JCCC doubles team qualifies for ITA Championships

Source: Bronies via FAUST by ~escagorouge on deviantART

“Two members of the Johnson County Community College women’s tennis team, sophomores Shannon Becket and Erika Castillo Lopez, have advance to the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships, to be held Oct. 11 to 14 at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala.

Both players qualified by winning the Midwest ITA Regional doubles title last weekend in Arkansas City, Kan. Their appearance marks the second time a JCCC doubles team has qualified for this championship event. Diana Goldsmith and Renae Wright qualified in the fall of 2004.

The duo opened the regional tournament with an 8-0 victory over the No. 2 team from Seminole State, and followed with an 8-1 victory over Seminole State’s No. 1 team. Beckett and Castillo Lopez capped the event with a come-from-behind win over the No. 1 team from Cowley College. The JCCC tandem lost the first set 6-2, but battled back to tie the match with a 7-5 win in the second set. They secured their spot in Mobile by winning the tiebreaker 10-2.

The USTA/ITA National Small College Championships are comprised of the eight regional champions (and/or at-large selections) from NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community Colleges.

The USTA/ITA National Small College Championship is the only national championship event for singles and doubles at the NCAA Division II and NAIA levels. It is also the only tournament that combines all levels of Junior/Community College (NJCAA Divisions I and III and the California division). The singles and doubles champions at each divisional level will then compete to become the overall ‘Super Bowl’ champions.

The ‘Super Bowl’ champions earn wild cards into the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships with the opportunity to win the culminating event held at the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.”