Oct. 22, 2006

Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Bethune-Cookman College women's tennis continued a positive tradition of strong play over the weekend as they took part in the annual ITA South Region Championship hosted by the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. It was the third event of the fall season for the Wildcats.

After capturing the 2006 HBCU National Tennis crown just over three weeks ago, the Wildcats women's tennis squad looked for a bigger venue as they traveled to the ITA South Region Championship to face-off against some of the best in the industry, so-to-speak, in the South Region. This included teams not only from Florida, but Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.

The strongest outcome of the weekend came from sophomore newcomer Monika Musilova (Prague, Czech Republic) who defeated two opponents before bowing out in the quarterfinals of this year's event. Musilova entered the weekend unscathed with a 5-0 overall mark, and now sits at 7-1 on the fall campaign after knocking off Jacksonville's Lena Willi (4-6, 6-3, 6-0) and Samatha Lange of Stetson (6-3, 6-1). Musilova's streak of unbeaten matches came to an end ion the quarterfinal round as she fell to Troy's Annabelle Bares (6-2, 6-4). Bares went on to collect the Women's Singles Flight B Championship, never losing a single set for the weekend.

Also playing well for the Wildcats were sophomore Kiara Powell (Boise, Idaho) and Lucia Polakova (Trnava, Slovakia) who advanced to the second round of the Flight B Doubles competition in the consolation round before falling to worthy opponents Gulsah Esen and Nischa Maier-Knapp of UAB.

Powell, competing in the singles event of Flight B also won her first round match against Becky Gordon of UCF with scores of 7-6(3), 7-5. Powell would fall in one of the more exciting matches of the day in the second round to Annemieke Elsholz (6-3, 7-5) of UAB.

The Wildcats will now take part in two more fall events before taking the winter break off, preparing for what is sure to be an exciting spring season. The `Cats will travel to the FSU Seminole Fall Classic next weekend in the capital city of Tallahassee, Fla.

For more information on this event/tournament and all other MEAC tennis events throughout the fall season, please log on to www.MEACsports.com, or call the Bethune-Cookman College Office of Sports Information at (386) 481-2206.