ITA Announces Host Site for Women's All-American Championships

With the 2014-15 college tennis season just getting underway for many teams around the country, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) has announced information concerning the 2014 Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships. In addition, information is available regarding the ITA Division I Women's Preseason Rankings, along with the selections for the 2014 Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships.

For the 31st year, the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, CA, will serve as the host site for the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships. The national event is set to begin on Saturday, September 27 with prequalifying singles and doubles matches, which will once again be hosted by UCLA. Main draw action is slated for October 2-5.

This year's singles field is headed by defending champion Jamie Loeb of North Carolina, who starts the year as the No. 1 player in the 2014 ITA Division I National Women's Singles Rankings. Loeb went 53-4 last season, winning both Riviera and the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships during a banner freshman campaign.

She is joined by No. 2 Robin Anderson of 2014 NCAA Champion UCLA, who was a finalist at last year's event. Anderson has advanced to the finals of the last three fall national tournaments, including her triumph at the 2012 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships. Anderson registered a 34-6 record last season, including a straight-set victory over Loeb in the NCAA Team Championship match.

North Carolina's Hayley Carter enters the season as the No. 3 ranked player having won 50 singles matches last season. At Riviera last year, Carter won seven matches to advance from prequalifying to the main draw before losing to second-seeded Lauren Herring of Georgia.

Also in the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championship field this year and rounding out the top 10 of the ITA Women's Preseason Singles Rankings are (in order): Beatrice Capra (Duke), Julia Elbaba (Virginia), Lauren Herring (Georgia), Chanelle Van Nguyen (UCLA), Lynn Chi (California), Silvia Garcia (Georgia) and Danielle Collins (Virginia).

Nine of the top 10 teams from the ITA Women's Preseason Doubles Rankings entered into the tournament, with NCAA doubles champions Erin Routliffe and Maya Jansen of Alabama leading the field. The Crimson Tide pair didn't play together at Riviera last year, but compiled a 22-4 record together including finishing the season on a 10-match win streak.

Rounding out the top five preseason ranked doubles teams are (in order): Jamie Loeb/Hayley Carter (North Carolina), Monique Albuquerque/Clementina Riobueno (Miami), Catherine Harrison/Kyle McPhillips (UCLA) and Whitney Kay/Caroline Price (North Carolina).

Also notably returning to the tournament is the USC duo of Zoë Scandalis and Giuliana Olmos, who made a memorable run to the doubles final last year after losing in the first round of prequalifying and collecting the lucky loser into qualifying. The Trojans received an at-large into the main draw this season thanks to their No. 7 preseason ranking.

Complete ITA Preseason Rankings and ITA All-American Championships selections can be found by clicking the links below:

2014 ITA Division I Women's Preseason Rankings

2014 Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships Selections

About the ITA: As the governing body of collegiate tennis, the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which is comprised of nearly 1,700 men's and women's varsity coaches representing over 1,200 institutions, administers numerous regional and national championships and the ITA College Tennis Rankings for over 20,000 college varsity student-athletes at NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior College levels. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship. The official ITA website is www.itatennis.com.