May 24, 2004

If the winningest player in the history of Illinois women's tennis adds to her total this week, it will likely be due to spectacular play on her part. Senior Jennifer McGaffigan will challenge the top seed in the entire field of 64 at the NCAA Singles Tournament this afternoon in Athens, Ga. McGaffigan is ranked No. 38 and brings a 30-9 singles record into her 1 p.m. EDT matchup with No. 1-ranked Raquel Kops-Jones of California.

"It's a great opportunity for Jenny," said UI Head Coach Sujay Lama. "Sure, it's a tough draw, but that's the way it goes in tournament play."

The top 16 players are seeded; the other 48 are drawn randomly.

If she wins this afternoon, McGaffigan would have to play two matches tomorrow, a second-round singles contest against the winner of today's tilt between Michigan's Michelle DaCosta and Sabite Maharaj of Tennessee, and an opening-round doubles match with junior partner Cynthya Goulet against twins Catrina and Christian Thompson of Notre Dame, a duo they defeated twice earlier this year. If the 15th-ranked UI tandem (28-9) wins that match, they would likely face the No. 1 duo in the 32-team field, Lauren Barnikow and Erin Burdette of Stanford on Thursday.

The time schedule for the doubles tournament will be released later this afternoon.

Results of the NCAA Singles and Doubles Tournaments can be followed on the world wide web at www.georgiadogs.com.