Oct. 21, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Senior Ana Marija Zubori and freshman Madeleine Saari-Byström from the South Carolina women’s tennis team will compete in the Wilson/ITA Carolina Regional Championships beginning Thursday in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Zubori enters the main draw as the No. 4 overall seed and is ranked 29th in the country. She will face Shinann Featherston of North Carolina in the first round. Zubori owns an 8-2 record this fall in three tournaments and has defeated two players ranked among the top 50.

Saari-Byström is scheduled to face Sandhya Nagaraj from NC State in the first round. Saari-Byström posted a 4-5 record in her previous three tournaments and enters the regional having one three consecutive matches.

The Gamecock duo is seeded seventh in doubles and received a bye for the first round. They will play the winner of Portioli/Herrera of Winthrop and Oprea/White from Gardner-Webb. Saari-Byström and Zubori are 2-0 together this fall having teamed up previously at the Wolverine Invitational in early October.

The singles and doubles champions from the regional will receive at-large bids to the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. The National Indoors are the second of three Grand Slam tournaments in college tennis. The indoors take place over Nov. 5-8 in New Haven, Conn.