MEDFORD, Mass. – The Ithaca College women's tennis team is set to make its 11^th appearance in the NCAA Tournament on Friday morning when it battles Nichols College in an Opening Round match at Tufts University. Start time is scheduled for 10 a.m. If the Bombers are victorious, they will face site-host Tufts in the Second Round at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
 
Match Info
Ithaca College (13-7, 8-0 Empire 8) vs. Nichols College (16-3, 8-0 CCC)
Friday, May 12, 2017 | 10:00 A.M. | Medford, Mass. – Tufts University
 
Match Coverage
Live Stats
 
Outdoor Match Site
Voute Tennis Courts
161 College Avenue
Medford, Mass., 02155
Campus Map
 
Indoor Match Site
Bass River Tennis Club
31 Tozer Road
Beverly, Mass., 01915
Directions
 
Last Time Out
The Bombers dropped their final regular season match of the season, falling in an 8-1 decision at Connecticut College. Ithaca has certainly been battle tested this spring, playing 10 difficult non-conference matches against some of the top competition in the region. IC will be looking to snap a four-match losing streak when it meets Nichols on Friday.
 
How They Got Here: Ithaca
Ithaca is making its 11^th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance by virtue of winning the Empire 8 Conference and capturing the automatic berth from the league. The Bombers capped their dominant run with the conference by winning an unprecedented 12^th straight title this past fall. Ithaca blew through the Empire 8 slate, sweeping every opponent on the schedule except for Stevens, which it bested 7-2 in the season opener. Entering the conference tournament as the top seed, Ithaca breezed past Hartwick in a 5-0 win, before taking down the Ducks 5-2 in a rematch of the season opener.
 
How They Got Here: Nichols
Nichols is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history on Friday. The Bison earned their spot by posting a dominant run through the Commonwealth Coast Conference this past fall. Nichols went 8-0 in conference matches during the year to earn the top seed to the conference tournament. The Bison bested Gordon College 5-1 in the semifinal, before sweeping Endicott 5-0 in the final.
 
First Meeting
Ithaca and Nichols have never met in match play before, marking the first match between the two programs this Friday.
 
Competitive Edge
An interesting storyline to watch heading into Friday's match is the discrepancy in the amount of match experience the teams have had this spring. While Ithaca has only played one more dual match than Nichols on the season (20-to-19), the Bombers have been the much more active team during the spring portion of the schedule. IC has played 10 matches this spring, while Nichols has only played two matches since winning the conference tournament this past fall. The Bison were scheduled to play seven total matches this spring; however, inclement weather cancelled five of those matches.
 
Kusak, Grosberg in Final NCAAs
Ithaca has two seniors playing in their final NCAA Tournament in Haley Kusak and Jodi Grosberg. Both will go down as some of the top players in program history, but will look to put an exclamation point on their respective collegiate careers this spring. Kusak ranks second all-time in singles wins with 63, while she is the program's all-time winningest player in doubles with 68 career triumphs. Grosberg ranks 11^th all-time with 36 career singles wins.
 
Return of Shaffer
The Bombers' flight lineup will be boosted by the return of sophomore Kathryn Shaffer, as the second-year player rejoins the squad after spending the spring semester studying abroad. Shaffer posted a 10-2 record in singles and an 11-1 mark in doubles during the fall portion of the schedule. She saw the majority of her singles action in the fifth flight, while she also will likely pair with Grosberg in the third-flight doubles slot.
 
Rookie Ruback
Freshman Brianna Ruback has been a revelation for Ithaca this season, posting one of the finest rookie years in program history. She enters Friday with an 18-6 record in singles and an 11-11 mark in doubles. She has been a strong backer to Kusak in the second flight of singles, providing a strong one-two punch at the top of the Bombers' flight lineup. Ruback posted a 14-4 mark in the second flight of singles this year.
 
Bounce Back for Dunn
It has been a tough spring for Ithaca's talented sophomore Caroline Dunn; however, Dunn enjoyed a fantastic fall campaign, which included a 7-0 record in Empire 8 singles bouts this past fall. She is a key player for Ithaca and will be relied upon in the middle of IC's singles flight lineup. She has been a dynamite pairing with Kusak at the top of Ithaca's doubles flight lineup, posting an 18-6 record on the year.
 
Looking Ahead
Ithaca will face host Tufts University (14-6) if they should advance past Nichols into the NCAA Second Round. The match will be played on Saturday, May 13, at 10:00 a.m.