UIC women's tennis draws Michigan in NCAA tournament

CHICAGO - The UIC women's tennis team will face No. 4 Michigan in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Friday, May 14, the NCAA announced on Tuesday, May 4.

The Flames (20-3), winners of 14 consecutive Horizon League Championships, will make their 12th straight NCAA postseason appearance against the Wolverines (22-4), who earned their ninth consecutive NCAA berth.

The winner of the match between the Flames and the Wolverines will advance to the second round to meet the winner of the first-round contest between Ohio State (19-9) and DePaul (18-5).

Times for all matches have yet to be determined.

UIC features two-time Horizon League Player of the Year Mariya Kovaleva, who posted the third-most singles wins in school history this past season by going 25-5. She will most likely face Denise Muresan, a Lincolnshire, Ill. native who was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, in a highly-anticipated No. 1 singles match.

The Flames feature two more All-League First Team picks in addition to Kovaleva. Junior Ilinca Cristescu, who earned All-League First Team honors for the third straight season, went 21-10 primarily at the No. 2 singles spot, while Elena Antakova, who went 22-8, also earned All-League recognition.

UIC is riding an 11-match winning streak and has gone 17-1 since Feb. 7. The Flames have also won 123 consecutive matches against Horizon League opponents.

The Flames have already notched a win over a Big Ten team this season. UIC defeated Wisconsin, 4-3, back on Jan. 23 in Madison, Wis.

This marks the first time that the Flames have faced the Wolverines in the NCAA tournament.

Courtesy of UIC Sports Information