She will fly out Sept. 26 and practice all day Friday before first competing in the pre-qualifying singles round two days later in Westwood, Calif., with the hope of advancing to the main competition, to be held Oct. 3 to 6 in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Head women's tennis coach Bob Dallis said he expects Yau to make it through the qualifying round.
"One of the things we talk about and believe in is that you don't really go to a tournament with the idea of I'm not going to win the tournament,'" he said. "Even if those expectations are high, you should go in wanting to win the tournament."
Last year, Yau garnered second team all-Ivy honors in singles and had a conference season record of 4-3 while competing at the No. 1 spot. Dallis cited her skilled forehand and demeanor on the court as reasons for her success.
"Part of that demeanor is she has a lot of confidence in herself and her game," Dallis said.
In preparation for the tournament, Yau trained with the team and privately with Dallis, perfecting volleying and positioning on the court.
"For Katherine, it's always about making sure she is keeping balls out of center of court, is aware and always working on making the ball difficult for her opponent to hit and hitting it in a way where it is outside of a person's strike zone," Dallis said.
Yau, a New York native, said that because East Coast players spend a lot of time playing indoors, adjusting to matches outside "with the wind and the elements" will be one of her preparation points.
Yau is the only tennis player from Dartmouth traveling to the competition. Jacqueline Crawford '17 qualified to play doubles with Yau but will not attend.
"I was disappointed when I heard the news," Crawford said. "It's very rare for freshmen to be selected to All American so it was really exciting to be considered, but that being said, I'm really excited for Kat."
The tournament could be more than a two-week time commitment for Yau, and the tennis team will already be away from campus for three weekends this fall.
"If I do end up doing well, it would be a whole new level of missing class," said Yau, who has been communicating with professors in preparation for the absences.
Other Ivy League players competing in the tournament include Princeton University junior Lindsay Graff, sophomore Annie Sullivan from Yale University and Columbia University sophomore Kanika Vaidya.
