Tweet

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- The Virginia Tech women’s tennis team travels to the Athens, Ga. this weekend to participate in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Kick-off Weekend. The Hokies will face No. 4 Georgia at 2 p.m. Friday at the Hopkins Indoor Courts.

Virginia Tech (1-0), ranked No. 55 in this week’s ITA national poll, opened the season with a 6-1 victory Wednesday over Elon. Tech will be led by Martha Blakely (So., Reading, Pa.), ranked No. 96 in the preseason. Also at the top of the Tech lineup will be Christin Newman (Fr., Greensboro, N.C.) and Yasmin Hamza (Jr., Cairo, Egypt).

Georgia (1-0), a 2009 NCAA Final Four participant, opened the season last Sunday with a 5-2 win over No. 75 South Florida. The Bulldogs lineup features a pair of 2009 All-Americans in sophomores Chelsey Gullickson and Nadja Gilchrist. The Georgia pair are ranked No. 14 and No. 57 respectively, while seniors Yvette Hyndman and Naoko Ueshima are ranked No. 34 in doubles.

The other first round match will feature No. 47 William & Mary taking on No. 51 Georgia State at 9 a.m. Georgia, win or lose on Friday, will play the 2 p.m. match on Saturday while Tech will play at 9 a.m. in either the consolation or the second round contest.

The event features 60 teams, playing in 15 regionals across the nation, who will battle for the right to advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships at the Boars Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va. The host team, No. 26 Virginia, awaits the 15 winners, in the finals which will take place Feb. 12-15.

For updates on Virginia Tech women's tennis, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_WTennis).