The Gators women’s tennis team is sending four representatives into enemy territory this weekend to compete in the ITA Southeast Regional Championships.
McCartney Kessler, Sydney Berlin, Tsveta Dimitrova and Marlee Zein will travel 149 miles north to Tallahassee, slated to compete in both the singles and doubles draw at the tournament hosted by Florida State.
Main draw play starts Friday morning, as Berlin and Dimitrova pair up for the second time this season, while Kessler and Zein will make their Gators doubles debut together.
Kessler, ranked No. 6 in the region, has had a busy fall season, notching the most matches of any Gator with 15. She’s held strong with a 10-5 record thus far and looks to improve on that in her second tournament in as many weeks.
No. 85 Zein, Dimitrova and Berlin haven’t had the same experience, though, with the regional championship marking just their second tournament of the season.
Last season Kessler was crowned the doubles champion alongside teammate Victoria Emma in the 2018 ITA Southeast Regional Championships in Atlanta, Georgia. She’ll try to repeat that performance, again, this year.
Players from 17 different schools across the southeast region will compete for an automatic bid to the 2019 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships. Winners of both the singles and doubles draw will earn automatic bids to Newport Beach, California.
Follow Victor Prieto on Twitter @victorprieto_11. Contact him at vprieto@alligator.org
Marlee Zein will make her doubles debut with McCartney Kessler this weekend.
