WILMINGTON, N.C. – Eighth-year women’s tennis coach Jenny Garrity of UNC Wilmington will be counting on the durability of her healthy six players as the Lady Seahawks open their spring season this weekend at the annual VCU 4×1 Invitational in Richmond, Va.

      The Lady Seahawks battle Hampton Friday at 11 a.m. at the Thalhimer Tennis Center before meeting Drexel (8 a.m.) and VCU (Noon) in back-to-back CAA matches Saturday.  UNCW closes out the weekend trip with a 9 a.m. test early Sunday against Longwood. Overall, 10 teams are taking part in the event, with a total of 14 matches scheduled.

        “We’re opening up with four very solid teams,” Garrity said of the round robin event. “I think we’re going to learn a lot about our team. We’ll use this weekend as a measuring stick to see where we are and what we need to work on.”

        With the loss of seniors Cassie Martin, Molly Molony and Jamie deGraffenreid, the Lady Seahawks will count on the contributions of juniors Priscilla Roberts and Lauren Isenhour on and off the court this season. Roberts went 11-14 last season in singles and 16-9 in doubles, while Isenhour fashioned a sparkling 20-6 singles record and 19-7 doubles ledger, both earning all-CAA accolades.

       “We’ll rely heavily on the leadership of Priscilla and Lauren,” Garrity said. “With no seniors on our roster, Priscilla and Lauren have done an amazing job of stepping into leadership roles which are critical this spring because more than half of our starting lineup will be underclassmen.”

        The roster includes two juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen, but sophomore Lauren Feunning is out for the year with a wrist injury and will redshirt the 2007-2008 season.

        Garrity said, “Depth is going to have a profound effect on our season. We have already lost Lauren for the season and another player is doubtful this weekend. We will probably only have six healthy players, but the players we have are strong and everyone is ready to fill the role that is asked of them.”

        The Lady Seahawks, who have recorded five straight winning seasons, competed in four fall events and earned a school record 9 fall flight championships. Garrity’s team also used the holiday break to prepare for the 28-match spring schedule, which features 12 home matches at the newly-renovated varsity courts.

        “It’s been three months since we’ve played against someone other than ourselves,” Garrity reflected, “so we’re excited about getting the season under way. I was extremely pleased with our preparation over the break.

        “I told our players that our success this spring would be a direct reflection on how hard they worked during their time away on their own. They each made a commitment and remained dedicated to getting better in preparation for the opener this weekend.”

        The Lady Seahawks went 3-1 in last year’s event, defeating Georgetown, Longwood and George Mason, while losing to host VCU. The Rams finished last season ranked 34^th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and return senior All-American Tatsiana Uvarova.

        Following this weekend’s appearance in Richmond, the Lady Seahawks make their home debut on Thursday, Feb. 7, when High Point visits the Port City for a 1:30 p.m. match.

VCU 4X1 Invitational Match Schedule

Jan. 25-27, 2008

Friday, Jan. 25Drexel at VCU, 9 a.m.Hampton vs. UNCW, 11 a.m.Drexel vs. Longwood, 1 p.m.Hampton at VCU, 3 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 26Drexel vs. UNCW, 8 a.m.Campbell vs. George Mason, 10 a.m.UNCW at VCU, 12 p.m.Campbell vs. James Madison, 2 p.m.George Mason vs. Hampton, 4 p.m.James Madison at VCU, 6 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 27UNCW vs. Longwood, 9 a.m.George Mason at VCU, 11 a.m.James Madison vs. Hampton, 1 p.m.Longwood at VCU, 3 p.m.