Tournament Brackets (in .pdf format):
Tournament Preview:
(courtesy of Matt Beltz, PSAC Director of Media Relations)
For the second straight year, Shippensburg will serve as the host of the PSAC Individual Tennis Championships this Saturday and Sunday. The individual tennis championships mark the first PSAC championship of the 2010-11 school year. Individual champions in men's and women's singles and doubles will be crowned after the two-day tournament on Sunday. With all of last year's champions no longer on their respective teams' rosters, there will be new champions in all four draws - men's and women's singles and doubles.
Players from 12 women's and six men's teams will vie for the individual championships. Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Mercyhurst, Millersville and West Chester sponsor both men’s and women’s tennis. California, Cheyney, Clarion, IUP, Shippensburg and Slippery Rock have only women’s tennis. Edinboro has also added both men's and women's tennis beginning this year but the Fighting Scots will not participate in any PSAC championships until next season.
There will be a new women's singles champion this year as California's Alina Stanila, the singles champion the last two years, has graduated. Last year's runner-up, Cal's Axelle Fernandez, does return and is the No. 3 seed this year after being the No. 2 last year. Fernandez's teammate Anna Pieschl is the No. 1 seed while Slippery Rock's Sarah Lynch is the No. 2. Other contenders include the other three top seeds in No. 4 Kim Ezzo of Mercyhurst, No. 5 Anastassiya Zherdeva of California and No. 6 Katie Eaton of IUP. The top six players in the draw are seeded and there are a total of 28 players vying for the women's singles title. The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round.
There will also be a new team of women's doubles champions as last year's champions, Cal's Nina Kowalski and Laurie Navarro have graduated. This year, another Cal team is the No. 1 seed in Pieschl and Jade Pondicas. One half of last year's runner-up team from Mercyhurst returns as half of this year's No. 2 seed in Mercyhurst's Kim Ezzo. After teamming with Meghan Raynor last year to advance to the finals as an unseeded team, Ezzo will team up with Carolina Bristol this year as the No. 2 seed. Also of note is Slippery Rock's unseeded team of Lynch and Dunja Drmac. Drmac was part of the No. 2 seeded team last year before being knocked out in the semifinals by Mercyhurst's team. There will be a total of 12 duos vying for the women's doubles championship, one from each team.
The men's singles bracket is full of new faces and there will be a new champion this year as only one of last year's semifinal participants returns. That individual is Bloomsburg's Ricky Dove, the No. 2 seed this year. Mercyhurst's Keith Whittingham is the No. 1 seed. A pair of Millersville players round out the top seeds as Preetham Moras is No. 3 and Drew Slocum is No. 4. A total of 16 players will compete for the men's singles title and there are no byes in the first round.
There will also be new champions in men's doubles. Leading the way among the contenders are Millersville's Moras and Slocum, the No. 1 seed. Slocum teammed with Drew Sorgi last year to finish second to a since-departed team from Kutztown. Dove and Mark Schroeder from Bloomsburg will be the No. 2 seed. A total of six doubles duos, one from each team, will vye for the men's doubles championship, with the two top seeds receiving first round byes.
PSAC History and Recaps:
FOOD
Before & After Café 334 East King Street, Shippensburg
Black Horse Restaurant 32 East King Street, Shippensburg
Brother’s Pizza K-mart Plaza
Burger King Walnut Bottom Road, Shippensburg
Family Select Restaurant King Street on the square
Kathy’s Deli 891 West King Street
Knute’s Bar & Grill 15 West King Street
Market Cross Pub and Eatery 105 West King Street, Shippensburg
McDonald's 333 East King Street, Shippensburg
McFeely’s Coffee House Ceddia Union Building(CUB – on campus)
Mei Lin’s House 825 West King Street, Shippensburg
Pharo's Truck Stop Exit 10, I-81, Shippensburg
Pizza Man 201 North Seneca Street, Shippensburg
Pizza Hut 815 West King Street, Shippensburg
Pizza ‘N Stuff 85 West King Street, Shippensburg
Quizno’s Ceddia Union Building(CUB – on campus)
Rutter’s Farm Store K-Mart Plaza, Walnut Bottom Road
Select Family Restaurant King and Earl Streets, Shippensburg
Sheetz 359 East King Street, Shippensburg
Shippensburg Hop North Earl Street, Shippensburg
Ship Dining Hall SU campus – Kriner or Reisner Halls
Ship Student Ctr Ceddia Union Building(CUB – on campus)
Starbuck’s Ezra Lehman Memorial Library(on campus)
Subway 100 West King Street and Walmart Plaza, Shippensburg
Taco Bell/KFC Walnut Bottom Road
The Treat 9846 Molly Pitcher Highway, Shippensburg
Toll Gate 487 East King Street, Shippensburg
Turkey Hill West King Street
Wendy’s 100 South Conestoga Drive, Shippensburg (at Wal Mart)
LODGING
Shippen Place, 32 East King Street, Shippensburg, PA 17257 (717) 532-4141
Best Western, 125 Walnut Bottom Road, Shippensburg, PA 17257 (717) 532-5200
Best Western , 211 Walker Road, Chambersburg, PA 17201 (717) 262-4994
Comfort Inn, 3301 Black Gap Road, Chambersburg, PA 17201 (717) 263-6655
Super 8 Motel, 3648 Olde Scotland Road, Chambersburg, PA 17201 (717) 264-6288
DIRECTIONS
East of Shippensburg: Take the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Exit 16/226 (Carlisle). Follow U.S. Route 11 north to I-81. Take I-81 south to exit 29 (King Street). Turn right at the end of the exit ramp onto PA 174. Travel 2 miles to a "T" intersection. Turn left onto King Street (U.S. Route 11). At the 3rd traffic light, turn right onto North Prince Street. Proceed 1/2 mile to main entrance of the Shippensburg University campus.
West of Shippensburg: Take the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Exit 15/201 (Blue Mountain). Turn left onto PA Route 997. At the "Y" intersection bear right onto route 696. At the town of Newburg, watch the signs carefully and stay on Route 696 (requires a left turn followed by an immediate right turn). Continue on Route 696 south another 8 miles to Shippensburg. Entrance to the campus will be on the left.
Due North or North East of Shippensburg: Take I-81 south to exit 29 (King Street). Turn right at the end of the exit ramp onto PA 174. Travel 2 miles to a "T" intersection. Turn left onto King Street (U.S. Route 11). At the 3rd traffic light, turn right onto North Prince Street. Proceed 1/2 mile to main entrance of the Shippensburg University campus.
North West of Shippensburg: Take rural routes to I-81 and follow directions from North or use rural routes to PA turnpike and follow directions from West.
Due South or South West of Shippensburg: Take I-81 north to Pennsylvania. Continue to exit 24 (Fayette Street). At exit ramp, turn left onto Route 696 and travel 2 miles to a "T" intersection. Turn left onto Fayette Street and proceed to another "T" intersection. Turn right onto King Street. At 3rd traffic light, turn left onto North Prince Street. Proceed 1/2 mile to the main entrance of the Shippensburg University campus.
South East of Shippensburg (Baltimore or DC area): Take I-70 west to Hagerstown, MD and exit onto I-81 north. Cross into PA and take exit 24 (Fayette Street). At the end of the exit ramp, turn left onto Route 696 and travel 2 miles to a "T" intersection. Turn left onto Fayette Street and proceed to another "T" intersection. Turn right onto King Street. At the third light, turn left onto North Prince Street. Proceed 1/2 mile to the main entrance of the Shippensburg University campus.
