May 19, 2009

NCAA Singles Championship Draw | NCAA Doubles Championship Draw | Individual Notes

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Seniors Gira Schofield and Natasa Vuckovic along with junior Ana Marija Zubori from the South Carolina women’s tennis team will begin play in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships starting Wednesday at the Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.

Schofield is making her fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Singles Championship, becoming the first player in school history to make the tournament four times. She advanced to the second round last season before losing to eventual champion Amanda McDowell of Georgia Tech in three sets. Schofield is 23-14 overall this season and ranked No. 43 in the country. Schofield will take on No. 84 Katrina Zheltova of Sacramento State in first round Wednesday at 5 p.m. CT.

Zubori is making her first appearance in the singles tournament. Ranked as high as No. 14 this spring and currently No. 48 in the nation, Zubori owns an impressive 31-6 singles record and went 23-4 at No. 2 singles for the Gamecocks. She became just the second player in school history this year to achieve multiple 30-win seasons during her career. Zubori takes on No. 3-ranked and second-seeded Julia Cohen from Miami (Fla.) on Wednesday at 10 a.m. CT.

Vuckovic and Zubori will team up for the doubles tournament. The duo’s current ranking of 27th is its highest of the season. Vuckovic and Zubori own an overall record of 18-13 and went 12-12 at the No. 1 doubles position. It is the first career appearance in the doubles championship for both women and they face the No. 1-ranked and seeded Renata Kucerkova and Anastasia Petukhova from Fresno State in the first round Thursday.

With two singles players and a doubles team entered in this year’s field, South Carolina has its most representatives for the individual championships since 2002 when current assistant coach Katarina Petrovic and Jennifer Radman played the singles event and Radman and Kathy Boyanovich competed in doubles.

GAMECOCKS IN THE 2009 NCAA SINGLES & DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS
Gira Schofield Senior | 5-6 | Right-Handed Boca Raton, Fla. NCAA Singles Championship	Natasa Vuckovic Senior | 5-8 | Right-Handed Novi Sad, Serbia NCAA Doubles Championship	Ana Marija Zubori Junior | 5-6 | Right-Handed Mulhouse, France NCAA Singles Championship NCAA Doubles Championship
Career/Season Highlights	Career/Season Highlights	Career/Season Highlights
First Gamecock in school history to earn four bids to the NCAA Singles Championship Currently ranked No. 43 in the nation; ranked as high as 19th this season, which was a career best Best finish in the NCAA Singles Championship was a second-round showing in 2008 where she lost to eventual champion Amanda McDowell of Georgia Tech First four-time All-SEC honoree in school history, making the second team in 2006, 2008 and 2009; a first-team selection in 2007 Ranked fourth in school history for doubles victories with 81, seventh in singles wins with 88 and fifth in combined victories with 169 Went 3-1 at No. 1 singles in the 2009 NCAA Tournament Ended her career with a 53-36 record playing No. 1 singles Defeated two players who were ranked in the top 10 at the time of the match this season	One of four players in school history to receive All-SEC accolades three times Currently ranked No. 27 in the nation in doubles with partner Ana Marija Zubori Her current national ranking in doubles is the highest of her career Ranks fourth in school history for singles victories with 96, is fifth in doubles wins with 77 and stands fourth in combined victories with 173 Just the sixth player in school history to win at least 20 singles matches four straight seasons Named the team MVP in 2007 and 2008 Making her first appearance in either of the NCAA individual tournaments Her career best national singles ranking of No. 62 came during spring of her freshman season	Making her first career appearance in either of the NCAA individual tournaments First Gamecock to compete in both championships since Jennifer Radman in 2002 Currently ranked No. 48 in the nation in singles and No. 27 in doubles with Natasa Vuckovic Ranked as high as No. 14 in singles this spring, one spot shy of tying the school record Career best national ranking in doubles is ninth coming in spring 2008 with partner Gira Schofield One of four players in school history to receive All-SEC accolades three times; one of only three to receive first-team recognition as well, snagging the honor this year Ranked fifth in school history for career singles winning percentage at 78.5 One of only two players in school history to post multiple 30-win seasons during her career 23 dual match victories this season was the most by a Gamecock since Biljana Mirkovic in 1987
Schofield’s Career Statistics Singles Season Total Dual Tourn. 2005-06 25-11 14-7 11-4 2006-07 17-16 13-9 4-7 2007-08 23-15 11-9 12-6 2008-09 23-14 17-11 6-3 Total 88-56 55-36 33-20 Doubles Season Total Dual Tourn. 2005-06 19-17 10-11 9-6 2006-07 19-14 11-9 8-4 2007-08 20-15 10-12 10-3 2008-09 23-13 19-7 4-6 Total 81-59 50-40 31-19	Vuckovic’s Career Statistics Singles Season Total Dual Tourn. 2005-06 26-15 14-7 12-8 2006-07 23-6 19-3 4-3 2007-08 25-10 15-6 10-4 2008-09 23-14 16-10 6-4 Total 96-45 64-26 32-19 Doubles Season Total Dual Tourn. 2005-06 19-17 10-10 9-7 2006-07 20-10 16-6 4-4 2007-08 17-20 9-12 8-8 2008-09 21-15 14-12 7-3 Total 77-62 49-40 28-22	Zubori’s Career Statistics Singles Season Total Dual Tourn. 2006-07 31-6 18-3 13-3 2007-08 22-11 14-6 8-5 2008-09 31-6 23-4 8-2 Total 84-23 55-13 29-10 Doubles Season Total Dual Tourn. 2006-07 21-12 11-9 10-3 2007-08 20-14 10-11 10-3 2008-09 20-15 12-13 8-2 Total 61-41 33-33 28-8

South Carolina’s History in the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships

1982 • Salt Lake City, Utah
Laura Bernstein, singles
R64: lost Lynn Lewis, UCLA, 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-3
Dawn Otto and Ellen Oxrieder, doubles
R32: lost Heynen/Sessarego, Southern California, 6-0, 7-5

1983 • Albuquerque, N.M.
Laura Bernstein, singles
R64: def. Randi Rosen, Northwestern, 6-4, 6-0
R32: def. Leslie Sheehan, Boston, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
R16: lost (#8 seed) Heather Ludloff, UCLA, 6-2, 7-5
Ellen Oxreider, singles
R64: def. Kristeen McKeen, Texas, 6-4, 7-6(2)
R32: lost Maeve Quinlan, Northwestern, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4

1984 • Los Angeles, Calif.
Johnna Chafin, singles
R64: lost Elisa Fernandez, Pepperdine, 6-1, 6-4

1987 • Los Angeles, Calif.
Rita Winebarger, singles
R64: lost Kefi Binyamini, U.S. International, 6-2, 6-4

1988 • Los Angeles, Calif.
Paulette Roux, singles
R64: def. Tamaka Takagi, Kentucky, 6-1, 6-2
R32: lost (#9-16 seed) Susanna Lee, BYU, 6-3, 7-5
Rita Winebarger, singles
R64: lost Michelle Taylor, BYU, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

1990 • Gainesville, Fla.
Michelle Duda, singles
R64: lost (#9-16 seed) Susan Gilchrist, Texas, 6-2, 6-1
Nathalie Rodriguez, singles
R64: lost Holly Danforth, Florida, 6-1, 6-2
Michelle Duda and Nathalie Rodriguez, doubles
R32: lost Edelman/Reece, Indiana, 6-1, 6-2

1991 • Stanford, Calif.
Michelle Duda, singles
R64: def. Lynn Rosenstrach, Yale, 6-4, 6-4
R32: lost (#9-16 seed) Susan Gilchrist, Texas, 6-0, 6-4

1992 • Stanford, Calif.
Michelle Duda, singles
R64: lost Nora Koves, Kansas, 6-3, 7-6(3)
Nathalie Rodriguez, singles
R64: lost Jennifer Poulos, California, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4

1993 • Gainesville, Fla.
Helen Crook, singles
R64: lost (#9-16 seed) Kori Davidson, Arizona State, 6-1, 6-3

1994 • Athens, Ga.
Helen Crook, singles
R64: lost Mindy Weiner, Kansas, 6-3, 6-1
Heather Greene, singles
R64: lost Sandra De Silva, Stanford, 6-4, 6-1
Helen Crook and Victoria Davies, doubles
R32: def. Guenther/Milholland, William & Mary, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3
R16: def. (#5-8 seed) Davidson/Geiger, Arizona State, 6-2, 6-4
QF: def. (#4 seed) Alley/Nelson, California, 6-3, 6-3
SF: lost Bougnol/Piquemal, Mississippi, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5

1995 • Malibu, Calif.
Heather Greene, singles
R64: def. Divya Merchant, Florida, 6-4, 6-4
R32: lost (#1 seed) Kelly Pace, Texas, 6-2, 6-4

1996 • Tallahassee, Fla.
Heather Greene, singles
R64: lost (#8 seed) Melissa Zimpfer, Wisconsin, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
Karolina Bulat and Heather Greene, doubles
R32: lost (#5-8 seed) Moros/Taylor, Texas, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3

1997 • Stanford, Calif.
Karolina Bulat and Tobi Rakic, doubles
R32: lost (#1 seed) Buth/Nickitas, Florida, 6-2, 6-1

1999 • Gainesville, Fla.
Katarina Markovski, singles
R64: lost (#2 seed) Vanessa Webb, Duke, 6-1, 7-5
Katarina Markovski and Celine Regnier, doubles
R32: lost (#5-8 seed) Dasso/Hall, Notre Dame, 6-1, 6-0

2000 • Malibu, Calif.
Katarina Markovski, singles
R64: lost Chin Bee Khoo, Arkansas, 7-5, 6-1

2001 • Stone Mountain, Ga.
Kathy Boyanovich and Jennifer Radman, doubles
R32: def. Castellvi/Ojeda, Tennessee, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
R16: lost (#1 seed) Barnikow/Kalvaria, Stanford, 6-3, 6-3

2002 • Stanford, Calif.
Katarina Markovski, singles
R64: def. (#2 seed) Kelly McCain, Duke, 6-1, 5-7, 7-5
R32: lost Chloe Carlotti, Fresno State, 6-4, 6-4
Jennifer Radman, singles
R64: lost Adria Engel, Arizona State, 6-3, 6-2
Kathy Boyanovich and Jennifer Radman, doubles
R32: def. Cioroch/Grey, Georgia, 7-5, 6-3
R16: lost (#3 seed) Dawaf/Lehnhoff, Florida, 3-6, 6-0, 6-0

2004 • Athens, Ga.
Danielle Wiggins, singles
R64: lost Katie McGaffigan, Wisconsin, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5

2006 • Stanford, Calif.
Gira Schofield, singles
R64: lost Anna Lubinsky, Texas A&M, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4

2007 • Athens, Ga.
Gira Schofield, singles
R64: lost Tracy Lin, UCLA, 7-6(4), 6-2

2008 • Tulsa, Okla.
Gira Schofield, singles
R64: def. Ekaterina Burduli, Washington State, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
R32: lost (#7 seed) Amanda McDowell, Georgia Tech, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5