ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Ithaca women's tennis team (9-0, 7-0 Empire 8) will compete this weekend at the 2012 Empire 8 Women's Tennis Championships, hosted by Nazareth. Tournament play begins Saturday with simultaneous semifinals starting at 1 p.m. Matches will be contested at Nazareth's outdoor courts, but in the event of inclement weather, the tournament will take place at Mendon Racquet Club. All matches will be ended once the victorious team reaches the necessary five team points required to secure victory.

Top-seeded Ithaca faces fourth-seeded Hartwick (5-7, 4-3 E8) in the opening round. Ithaca defeated Hartwick 8-1 in the regular-season dual between the two teams. The other semifinal matches second-seed Nazareth (6-3, 6-1 E8) vs. Stevens Institute of Technology (7-3, 5-2 E8). The championship match will be played at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Ithaca has won the last seven Empire 8 titles, including a 2011 championship victory over Stevens by a 5-4 score. Ithaca has won 10 team championships overall, dating back to 1999. The Bombers currently own a 16-match winning streak in the Empire 8 tournament and is 31-3 all-time in the history of the conference championship.

Ithaca first singles player Cristina Nunez carries a 10-1 singles record into this weekend's tournament. She has 58 singles victories in her career, and is just two away from tying the all-time record for singles victories at Ithaca College, held by Meghan Carroll '04 (60 wins). Carly Siegel has a 13-3 singles record and Alyssa Steinweis is 12-1 in singles play.

In doubles play for the Bombers, Laurel Salladay has a 10-4 record overall. Ithaca dropped just one doubles point over the entire Empire 8 dual-meet schedule, winning 20 of the 21 doubles matches.

Audio: Head coach Bill Austin previewed the tournament in our Bomber Podcasts.