Date Posted: 5/2/2007

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville women's tennis first trip to the NCAA Tournament leads them to Gainesville on May 12 at 10 a.m., to face No. 4 seed Florida in the first round.

The Dolphins gathered at the Regency Alehouse on Monday where they learned their destination on ESPNews as part of a celebration of the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season and tournament titles.

"We are excited about the opportunity to face one of the best programs in the country in Florida," said JU head coach Jarod Camerota. "This is by far the biggest test for us this season, but we're going to come out and play as hard as we can and see what happens."

Jacksonville brings a 16-match winning streak into the tournament, including three straight to win the A-Sun Tournament title and automatic bid. The Dolphins clinched the A-Sun regular season title with an 8-1 record - the first title of any kind for the program.

The Dolphins success has been built around their experience at the No. 1 and 2 positions - senior Emese Sulyos and junior Lena Willi.

The upperclassmen duo has racked up 41 singles wins this season and has teamed up in doubles for an impressive 15-2 record.

It has been their leadership and experience that has rubbed off on the four freshmen in the lineup - bringing them along quickly.

"We played really well the last half of the season," Camerota said. "Emese, Lena and Tatiana (Soldatova) have taken their games to another level, which has rubbed off on everyone else."

Soldatova, a freshman from Russia, racked up an impressive 17-4 record during her first campaign at JU and had the second best winning percentage at the No. 3 position in the A-Sun.

Soldatova's play has been the steadying force for the Dolphins magical run to the NCAAs. During the 16-match streak, JU has won the doubles point in every match except one - when the doubles play was suspended after the match had already been decided.

"Our doubles play has come a long way during the season," Camerota said. "We've come out very aggressive and that has paid big dividends for us."

The winner of the JU-Florida match will face the winner of the Florida International-South Florida match on May 12, with that winner advancing to the NCAA Finals in Athens, Ga.

courtesy of JUdolphins.com

Related Links:
 • Complete coverage at JUdolphins.com
 • NCAA Women's Tennis