AUBURN, Ala. – Three Auburn women's tennis players were awarded at-large berths to the ITA National Fall Championships, which run Nov. 7-11 in Surprise, Ariz.
Sophomore Jaeda Daniel earned an at-large bid into the singles competition, and the doubles team of freshman Sophia Graver and junior Taylor Russo will compete in the doubles tournament.
"We are very excited to have three athletes represent Auburn at the National Fall Championships," Auburn head coach Lauren Spencer said. "Our focus is winning national championships and winning at the highest level. Qualifying for this prestigious event not only rewards our players for the success they have had this fall but also provides us a great challenge and opportunity to play against the very best in college tennis. I know our players are eager to get out to Arizona, and it should make for a great trip."
Daniel entered the season ranked No. 39 in the preseason ITA rankings and has put together a 5-3 singles record in the fall. Included in those five wins are a pair of victories over top-40 opponents.
Graver and Russo are 6-1 on the season and are coming off a tournament flight victory at last week's Marliss Gruver Fall Invitational in Auburn. The pair won the doubles first flight and picked up two wins over ranked opponents, including the No. 51 team from Miami in the first round and the No. 31 team from Ole Miss in the final. Graver and Russo have a third ranked win, defeating another team from Ole Miss ranked No. 49 at the ITA Regionals.
The ITA also announced this week that the singles finals will air live on ESPN3 and the ESPN app, and the matches will re-air on ESPNU on Nov. 13. In addition, the men's and women's singles champions will receive a wild card into the main draw of an Oracle Challenger Series professional event in 2019.
Serving as the culmination to the fall season, the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships will be played at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex. The tournament features 64 of the nation's top collegiate singles players and 32 doubles teams in both men's and women's divisions. In its second year, having replaced the ITA National Indoor Championships, it is the lone event on the collegiate tennis calendar to feature competitors from all five divisions playing in the same tournament.
