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BLACKSBURG, Va. - A slate of 13 home matches, including dates against national semifinalist North Carolina along with elite eight Duke, Miami, Tennessee and several other matches against some of the top teams in the nation, highlight the 2010-11 Virginia Tech women’s tennis schedule. The home schedule also includes the Hokie Fall Invitational, Oct. 1-3, at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center. The Hokies return eight players from last year's 10-13 squad which was ranked No. 5 in the Atlantic Region.

Tech opened the fall schedule Sept. 10-12, with the team splitting up and playing in the William & Mary Tribe Invitational in Williamsburg, Va. and the Landfall Invitational in Wilmington, N.C. The Hokies conclude the opening month with a short trip across the New River to participate in the Radford Fall Tournament, Sept. 24-25. Tech opens October action hosting the Hokie Fall Invitational. The Wilson/ITA Atlantic Regional is next on the fall slate, Oct. 21-24, in Norfolk, Va., followed by The Landings Invitational in Savannah, Ga. The individual season concludes with the UCF Quad, Nov. 5-7, in Orlando, Fla.

”I am really looking forward to our fall season,” said Virginia Tech head coach Terry Ann Zawacki-Woods. “I feel we have a strong schedule and will have the opportunity to compete against great competition. I am looking forward to seeing how both the returning players and the freshmen will respond to the competition and we are excited to get started right away.”

The Hokies will face another tough spring schedule featuring 15 teams that were ranked at the end of last season. In fact, nine of the Hokies’ 11 ACC opponents concluded last season in the national rankings, with three (No. 3 North Carolina, No. 9 Duke, No. 10 Miami) finishing in the top ten. The Hokies will also face five teams that finished in the 2010 top-25 (No. 11 Clemson, No. 13 Tennessee, No. 14 Florida State, No. 15 Georgia Tech, No. 25 Virginia).

The dual-match schedule opens on Jan. 30, with home matches against Richmond and UNC Greensboro. The February schedule includes home matches versus Tennessee and Marshall followed by road contests at Dartmouth and that ACC opener at Boston College. Tech will host Maryland followed a doubleheader versus Maryland-Baltimore County and Davidson to close out the month.

The March schedule features home contests against Winthrop, East Tennessee State, William & Mary, Florida State and Miami, with road matches at Virginia Commonwealth and Virginia. The regular season concludes in April with home matches versus Wake Forest and NC State and road contests at Duke, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Clemson. The ACC Championships will be held in Cary, N.C. (Apr. 21-24) prior to the NCAA Championships.

“Our spring season is always a great challenge and we have the opportunity to play a lot of our matches at home this year,” said Zawacki-Woods. “I am looking forward to playing against tough competition outside the ACC. With our experienced returners and solid newcomers, we are extremely determined to work hard toward our main goal this year of reaching the NCAA tournament.”

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