April 15, 2008

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The Richmond women's tennis team heads into the 2008 Atlantic 10 Championships as the third-seed this weekend in Pittsburgh, Pa. Head coach Mark Wesselink and his team will go for their fifth straight A-10 title. The Spiders took home the top crown in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

"We understand our seed isn't as high as we had hoped," head coach Wesselink commented. "I think that it will only motivate us to play harder."

The Spiders have seven wins on the season heading into the weekend's competition. Junior Pamela Duran has been Richmond's no. 1 player the entire 2008 season.

Richmond has just one senior on its roster, Jelena Zivanovic, who will compete in the championships for the last time after winning four straight titles as a Spider.

"Everyone is healthy and I am happy with the team's efforts to up our training and be prepared," Wesselink added. "This year we are younger and less proven but no less driven or determined."

The Spiders will take on fourteenth-seed La Salle in the first round Friday, April 18 at 10:30 a.m. ET. If Richmond takes the first match the Spiders will turn around to play a 6 p.m. ET match on Friday against the winner of no. 6 Rhode Island and no. 11 Dayton.