Jan. 5, 2005

NEW ORLEANS, La. - For the first time in school history, the Tulane women's tennis team has been invited to join 15 of the top tennis teams in the nation at the 2005 USTA/ITA Women's National Team Indoor Championship (WNTIC), Feb. 3-6, at the University of Wisconsin's A.C. Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

"This is a big honor, but an even bigger challenge," Green Wave head coach David Schumacher said. "The tournament features the elite programs in the country, and we need to show that we belong amongst those teams."

This year's field boasts nine of the nation's Top 10 teams, including defending national champion and last year's WNTIC winner, Stanford. Also receiving invitations are Clemson, Duke, Georgia, Harvard, Kentucky, Miami, New Mexico, North Carolina, Northwestern, Southern California, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Washington and host Wisconsin.

The Green Wave, ranked No. 11 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) final rankings last year, advanced to the round of 16 at the 2004 NCAA Championships before bowing out to Miami.

First-round action begins Thursday, Feb. 3, with quarterfinal and first-round consolation bracket play following on Friday, Feb. 4. Tournament semifinals, along with second-round consolation matches will be played Feb. 5 while the championship match is slated for Feb. 6.

Tulane opens its dual match season on Sunday, Jan. 16, when the Green Wave host Florida A&M at 12 p.m. at the Goldring Tennis Center.