Texas Tech University Athletics
Kenna Kilgo, Lynn Kiro Head To Riviera/ITA All-American
September 26, 2014 | Women's Tennis
Texas Tech's Lynn Kiro has been named the No. 1 seed in the prequalifying segment of the Riviera/ITA Al-American
September 26, 2014
Prequalifying Singles Bracket | Prequalifying Doubles Bracket
PACIFC PALISADES, Calif. - Texas Tech's Kenna Kilgo and Lynn Kiro will begin play on Saturday in the prequalifying portion of the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships at the Riviera Tennis Club.
"Lynn and Kenna are very excited to get the season kicked off," said Lady Raider head coach Todd Petty. "This is a great way to test their latest hard work and measure where they are at this point. The season is very long and this is just the first step in the process."
Both Kilgo and Kiro enter the event ranked nationally by the ITA, as Kilgo is ranked No. 113, while Kiro is ranked No. 83 in singles.
Kiro, a sophomore from Cape Town, South Africa, enters the prequalifying segment of the tournament as the No. 1 seed. Kiro is coming off of arguably the best single-season performance in the modern era of Lady Raider Tennis. She went 29-6 last year and closed out the 2013-14 season on a 16-match winning streak, winning 14 of the 16 matches in straight sets.
Kiro will face LSU's Abigail Owens at 10 a.m. PT at the Sunset Courts. Owens, a sophomore from Georgia, is coming off of a season-opening 2-1 effort at the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Invitational last weekend. Owens was 15-14 last season for the Tigers, playing primarily No. 3 for LSU.
Kilgo, a senior from Crawford, Texas, played almost exclusively at No. 1 last season for the Lady Raiders, posting a 17-17 record from the top spot. She is making her third appearance in the All-American, after participating in the doubles portion of the event in each of the last two seasons. Kilgo carries a 66-41 career record into the event.
Kilgo will face Harvard's Monica Lin in the opening round of prequalifying at 11:30 a.m. PT at the Sunset Courts. Lin, a sophomore from Illinois, is 3-1 in singles after advancing to the Flight A finals at the Cissy Leary Invitational in Philadelphia, Pa., last week. Lin went 25-9 last season after holding down the No. 2 position in the Crimson rotation.
The tandem of Kilgo and Kiro will reunite in doubles after going 2-1 last season together. In the spring, Kilgo became the first Lady Raider in the modern era to reach 70 doubles wins in just three seasons. She is 73-30 in three seasons. Kiro went 22-10 in doubles last season.
Kilgo and Kiro enter the prequalifying portion of the event as the No. 3 seed. The tandem will face the Illinois tandem of Melissa Kopinski and Alexis Casati in the first round at 8:30 a.m. PT at the Sunset Courts. Kopinski, a senior who earned All-America honors as a sophomore, was 11-9 in doubles last season and is 61-30 in career doubles action. Casati, a sophomore, was 10-10 in doubles play last season, including an 8-7 mark playing with Kopinski at No. 1 singles.
This will not be the first time Kilgo has faced Kopinski. In 2012, Kopinski teamed with Rachael White to upended then-No. 6 Kilgo and Samantha Adams, 8-5 in second round of the All-American.
In singles, each player needs to win three consecutive matches to advance to the qualifying portion of the event, which is slated to begin on Monday. In doubles, the teams must secure back-to-back wins to advance. The prequalifying event features 64 players in singles and 16 doubles tandems. In singles, eight players will advance to the qualifying stage, while just four doubles teams will advance to Monday's competition.
This marks the fifth straight season that Petty has sent players to the All-American. Prior to his arrival, Texas Tech had sent players just three times to the nationally prestigious event - 2004, 2005 and 2007.
