Five players qualified for the main draw singles event of the tournament Ryan Reichel '11, Molly Scott '11, Georgiana Smyser '11, Rachel Decker-Sadowski '14 and Melissa Matsuoka '14. Additionally, Sabrina Stewart '14 will play in the singles qualifying bracket.
Scott, who is the No. 5 seed in the tournament, looks to bounce back after a disappointing early tournament exit as the top seed last year.
"It was disappointing, I had hoped to get a lot farther in the tournament," she said. "My goal for this tournament is to play the best I can and the results will take care of themselves."
Scott missed the team's last tournament due to injury, but is slated to play this weekend.
On the doubles side, three Big Green pairings will compete Matsuoka and Scott, Decker-Sadowski and Smyser, and Jeri Reichel '13 and Christina Danosi '13. In two of the three doubles pairs, a freshman is paired with a senior.
"In the beginning you always try to do a little something like that, and I feel like a little more learning happens that way," head coach Bob Dallis said.
Last year, the pair of Scott and Mary Beth Winingham '10 reached the semifinals at Regionals.
The Big Green, led by tri-captains Ryan Reichel, Scott and Smyser, most recently had five singles players reach the semifinals at the NTC tournament in New York City, while the doubles team of Jeri Reichel and Danosi get all the way to the finals.
After the tournament, Dallis said he thought the team's performance, while impressive, still had room for improvement. He specifically cited backhand swing volleys and court positioning as areas of weakness.
Overall, the team's efforts have pleased Dallis, he said.
"They're going out and working hard everyday, and have embraced the concept of getting a little better," Dallis said.
The road to success will not be as easy as it was at Regionals. All eight Ivy League schools will be competing in addition to some of the other top schools in the region.
"It's a tough field with all the best girls and we've got completely different people competing this year than last year," Ryan Reichel said.
Last season, team members compiled an overall record of 9-9 at Regionals, which was hosted by Yale University.
This season the team graduated four members. Thus far, however, the new members have been impressive. Decker-Sadowski, Matsuoka and Stewart are all playing in the tournament after reaching the semifinals at the NTC tournament.
"The freshmen have great energy," Ryan Reichel said. "It's always tough to lose a lot of upperclassmen, but so far they've embodied what we wanted to see with great energy and spirit."
The team is also trying to compensate for its relative lack of experience by putting in extra hours, Scott added.
"On the court, the team's been working on the physical aspects by doing lots of running and lifting and working off the court with strategy to be mentally tough," she said.
Although Regionals is an individual-focused tournament, it is unlikely that the Big Green singles players will face each other unless they advance deep into the tournament, as they will be evenly dispersed across the four brackets.
The team is excited to have home court advantage, as the tournament will be hosted at the Boss Tennis Center in Hanover for the first time since 2006.
"It's always good to be home," Dallis said.
The players are excited to play in front of the hometown crowd as well.
"Even though the court dimensions are the same everywhere, we still look forward to the fans and the feeling of comfort and support that comes with playing at home," Ryan Reichel said.
The players said they are confident that they are well prepared for the tournament and are hoping that their hard work pays off on the hard court.
The outcome of Regionals will determine which players will head to Flushing, N.Y., for the 2010 USTA/ITA Championships, Nov. 4-7.
