Nov. 6, 2003

Senior Jennifer McGaffigan won her opening round match today at the ITA National Indoor Championships being held in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She outlasted her opponent, Jessica Roland from Texas A&M, in three sets earlier today. She will face second-seeded and top-ranked (pre-season) Agate Cioroch from the University of Georgia.

"It was a three-and-a-half-hour battle," said UI Head Coach Sujay Lama. "Jenny didn't have her best match, but she competed really well today. She's off to a great start in the tournament. This is the first time we have had a player win her first-round match at National Indoors. We're really excited about tomorrow's match."

"She was a solid player; she had all the shots," said McGaffigan of Roland. "Her game is a lot like mine. I just tried to execute the plan that Sujay laid out for me. I tried to be aggressive and take the short shots when I could.

McGaffigan's teammates remained on campus for the four-team Midwest Blast, which gets underway a 9 a.m. tomorrow. Updates from the Blast will be posted periodically throughout the day on www.fightingillini.com. Complete updates for the ITA National Indoor Championships can be found at www.itatennis.com.

THURSDAY'S ILLINOIS RESULTS:

Singles
#44 Jennifer McGaffigan (ILL) def #36 Jessica Roland (TEX AM) 7-5, 5-7, 6-3