BLACKSBURG – Three members of the Virginia Tech women’s tennis team were selected to compete at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Women’s All-American Championships, announced by the ITA on Tuesday afternoon.
Senior Francesca Fusinato and juniors Caroline Daxhelet and Elena Cerezo-Codina will travel to Pacific Palisades, California, next month for the eight-day tournament held on Oct. 1-9.
“The ITA All American is one of the strongest events of the fall season and features all the top nationally ranked players in the country,” said coach Terry Ann Zawacki-Woods. “We are very proud of Francesca for her selection into the main draw as our region's top returner. In addition, we are very excited for Elena and Caroline, who also are selected into the tournament based upon their preseason rankings and success last season both in singles and doubles. It's a great opportunity for our team and players.”
For the first time in her career, Fusinato was selected to participate in the main singles draw. She also is the first women’s tennis player in program history to compete in the main singles event.
At the 2015 championships, Fusinato competed in the qualifying singles bracket, defeating Texas Tech’s Lynn Kiro in straight sets to advance to the round of 32. The Feltre Belluno, Italy, native recorded an 11-11 singles mark at the No. 1 slot last spring, earning All-ACC Second Team honors.
Cerezo-Codina and Daxhelet, the team’s No. 2 and No. 3 singles players, will participate in the qualifying singles bracket. Last season, Daxhelet and Cerezo-Codina competed as an alternate. The junior duo also will play in the qualifying doubles bracket for the second year in a row.
Of note, the ITA also announced individual preseason rankings this afternoon, with Fusinato, Cerezo-Codina and Daxhelet all earning a spot in the ITA Preseason Top 100 Poll. Fusinato paces the team ranked at No. 42, followed by Cerezo-Codina (No. 94) and Daxhelet (No. 96).
The Hokies will open its fall schedule the weekend of Sept. 23-25, in Charlottesville, Virginia, as they compete at the UVA Fall Invite for the second straight year.
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