Some of the country’s top NCAA Division I women’s tennis teams will make a racket on Liberty University’s campus from Oct. 15-19, when the Lady Flames host the United States Tennis Association (USTA)/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Atlantic Regionals for the first time.
“There will be a number of top 20 tennis programs here competing, so it will be great to have this visibility for Liberty in the tennis world,” said Jeff Barber, Liberty’s director of athletics.
Liberty women’s tennis Head Coach Jeff Maren said the event is a chance to showcase Liberty’s outstanding tennis facilities.
“Having 12 courts in one central location with good views for all spectators made our site an attractive choice for regionals,” Maren said, noting that Liberty won the bid over other regional schools such as Virginia Tech (last year’s host), the University of Virginia, and the College of William & Mary. “The regional committee was impressed with our facilities and saw our commitment to the tournament — they felt we would be able to host a first-class event.”
Approximately 30 programs, including Liberty, will be represented in the Atlantic Regional, which is one of 12 regional tournament locations nationwide.
“The tournament will be highly competitive and has great significance in terms of individual, regional, and national rankings,” Maren said.
Singles and doubles bracket finalists will advance to the Nov. 12-15 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., site of the U.S. Open.
