ITHACA, N.Y. - The Ithaca women's tennis team (10-9) earned its fifth-straight berth in the NCAA Tournament by winning the Empire 8 title, and Monday found out its first-round opponent and regional venue for the event. Ithaca will face Wilkes (15-1) in the first round of the tournament Thursday at 3 p.m. in Pittsburgh, Pa., hosted by Carnegie Mellon.

The Bombers are the Empire 8's lone representative in the 48-team NCAA Tournament. Ithaca is 2-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, winning first-round matches in 2007 and 2009. Ithaca defeated Wilkes 5-0 in the 2009 tournament, also at a regional hosted by Carnegie Mellon.

Ithaca's lineup is led by sophomore Cristina Nunez (Morris Hills/Rockaway, N.J.) at first singles and first doubles. Cristina Nunez is ranked 11th in the Northeast Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association among singles players with a 21-5 record. She teams with senior Melissa Nunez (Morris Hills/Rockaway, N.J.) at first doubles, where the duo is 17-8 overall this season and ranked 14th in the Northeast Region by the ITA. Senior Melanie Cohen (Hatboro-Horsham/Ambler, Pa.) is Ithaca's all-time leader in overall wins, with 112 combined singles (53) and doubles (59) victories. Cohen is 11-14 in singles play this year, primarily at the second singles position.

The winner of Thursday's regional quarterfinal will face the tournament's eighth-overall seed among the 48 teams, Washington & Lee, in Friday's regional semifinal. Washington & Lee is ranked eighth in the most recent ITA national team rankings, which were released May 5.

Carnegie Mellon's NCAA Regional Site | Ithaca Statistics | Ithaca Schedule