The 25th Roberta Alison Fall Classic. Hosted by the University of Alabama Women s Tennis Team

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1 The 25th Roberta Alison Fall Classic Hosted by the University of Alabama Women s Tennis Team October 5-6, 2012

2 About Roberta Alison ROBERTA ALISON CHAMPIONS One of the most inspiring sports stories is that of Roberta Alison. Each year the University of Alabama honors one of its greatest champions with the Roberta Alison Fall Classic. The annual flighted tournament is a showcase of tennis talent that brings in several of the nation s top tennis powers. In the winter of 1963, the Southeastern Conference made an unprecedented decision to allow women to compete on its men s varsity athletic teams. It was the first official move toward opening the door to women s varsity athletics at the SEC s member schools. It was a coach, Jason Morton, at the University of Alabama, who championed the monumental decision. Morton had found an ace in Roberta Alison, a player he d discovered in Tuscaloosa where she was training for the U.S. Women s Tennis Nationals. The Alexander City, Ala., native traveled to Tuscaloosa for her training since it was the nearest source for a grass court facility. She would need that in her training because the nationals would be played on grass. It was at a Tuscaloosa country club where Morton enticed Alison into becoming the first woman to play on a varsity men s team at Alabama. Alison s story is fascinating, particularly when judging the strength of character she displayed at the age of 19. Not every opposing coach was as enthusiastic as Morton was about a female playing on a traditionally all-male squad. Matches were forfeited by opposing coaches who claimed it was insulting for their players to play a woman. Newspapers were constantly bringing up the dispute, and no doubt Alison felt pressure from within because of all the controversy. But Morton and Alison s teammates stood by her, and she conducted herself with class while producing some of the best tennis performances of that time, including becoming an SEC quarterfinalist. Once she joined the team, the curious flocked to Alabama s home matches with attendance rising from a handful in 1962 to in I just go out there to win. I don t care who I play, man or woman, said Alison at the height of the controversy. I don t think men hold back because I m a girl. If they did, it would be against the object of the game, which is to win. I certainly don t want them to hold back just because it is me. Alison would letter for three seasons at Alabama on its men s team, playing primarily at No. 4 as a sophomore and junior and between Nos. 1-2 as a senior. Among the titles she won during her playing days were the women s collegiate singles championship in both 1962 and She teamed in doubles with Justina Bricka of Missouri for the 1963 women s collegiate doubles national title. Alison was a four-time Blue Gray and three-time Southern Tournament champion. She is a member of the Southern Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame and the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame, and she was among those featured in the Women s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in Williamsburg, Va., on the campus of William and Mary. In 1988, she joined All-American Gregg Hahn and All- SEC player Andy Solis as the inaugural inductees into the University of Alabama s Tennis Hall of Fame. * Former Alabama tennis player, Mari Muller, designed the Roberta Alison T-shirt logo featured above. SINGLES Flight 1 Joelle Kissell (N.C. State) Flight 2 Antonia Foehse (Alabama) Flight 3 Giorgia Pozzan (Houston) Flight 4 Khrystyna Pavlyuk (Miss. State) Flight 5 Yuiri Nomoto (Middle Tennessee) Flight 6 Flavia Nagayama (Middle Tennessee) Flight 7 Mesa Grgan (Georgia State) Flight 8 Taylor Cohen (Auburn) Flight 9 Emily Hangstefer (Chattanooga) DOUBLES Flight 1 Pfeifler/Kasler (Auburn) Flight 2 Nava/Moraes (Middle Tennessee) Flight 3 Nagayama/Nomoto (Middle Tennessee) Flight 4 Nedorostova/Larina (NW State) Flight 5 Alvarez/Cohen (UAB)

3 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic Participants ALABAMA Maya Jansen Natalia Maynetto Emily Zabor AUBURN Maria Cardenas Emily Flickinger Ashley Kitchen Plamena Kurteva Lauren Levant Paulina Schippers CLEMSON Tristen Dewar No. 83 Beatrice Gumulya Romy Koelzer Yui Lynn Miao FLORIDA STATE Laurence Porry Kristina Schleich GEORGIA STATE Whitney Byrd Jocelyn Ffriend Masa Grgan Maryna Kozachenko Chaimaa Roudami Linn Timmermann Natallia Vavulina GEORGIA TECH Megan Kurey Jasmine Minor Natasha Prokhnevska Kendal Woodard KENTUCKY Khristina Blajketvitch Stephanie Fox Caitlin McGraw Edmee Morin-Kougoucheff Nadia Ravita Jessica Stiles Grace Trimble Marni Venter MICHIGAN Kristen Dodge No. 125 Sarah Lee Ronit Yurovsky Amy Zhu MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE Lexi Brand Irina Constantinide Nayara Moraes Flavia Nagayama Yuiri Nomoto MISSISSIPPI Paige Keating Marija Milutinovic Allie Robbins Iris Verboven MISSISSIPPI STATE Sarai Flores Georgiana Patrasc No. 122 Alexandra Perper Naomi Tran Lien Van Geel NORTHWESTERN Linda Abu Mushrefova elinda Niu Alicia Barnett Nida Hamilton Anna Livadaru Veronica Corning SAMFORD Kristin Lewis Jessica Northcutt Lauren Caballero Emily Mallory Ann Marie Lyon Adri Lochner Sarah Gail Niebur UAB Rachel Cohen Rachel Daniel Caroline Faught Isabel Fernandez Amy Lowther Menanteau Moolman Elaine Simon VANDERBILT Frances Altick Courtney Colton Georgina Sellyn Megan Gornet Maggie Leavell

4 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic (Crimson Draw) ITA Code: Maya Jansen (Alabama) Nadia Ravita (Kentucky) Jasmine Minor (Georiga Tech) Consolation final Alexandra Perper (Mississippi State) Championship Maria Cardenas (Auburn) Belinda Niu (Northwestern) Frances Altick (Vanderbilt) Beatrice Gumuyla (Clemson)

5 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic (White Draw) ITA Code: Emily Flickinger (Auburn) Alicia Barnett (Northwestern) Sarah Lee (Michigan) Consolation final Kristin Lewis (Samford) Championship Rachel Daniel (UAB) Marija Milutinovic (Ole Miss) Courtney Colton (Vanderbilt) Georgiana Patrasc (Mississippi State)

6 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic (Blue Draw) ITA Code: Tristen Dewar (Clemson) Jessica Northcutt (Samford) Natalia Maynetto (Alabama) Consolation final Ronit Yurovsky (Michigan) Championship Paulina Schippers (Auburn) Whitney Byrd (Georgia State) Kirsten Lewis (Kentucky) Linda Abu Mushrefova (Northwestern)

7 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic (Yellow Draw) ITA Code: Kendal Woodard (Georgia Tech) Jessica Stiles (Kentucky) Yuiri Nomoto (Middle Tennessee) Consolation final Emily Zabor (Alabama) Championship Amy Zhu (Michigan) Isabel Fernandez (UAB) Iris Verboven (Ole Miss) Romy Koelzer (Clemson)

8 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic (Purple Draw) ITA Code: Megan Kurey (Georgia Tech) Masa Grgan (Georgia State) Naomi Tran (Mississippi State) Consolation final Caroline Faught (UAB) Championship Caitlin McGraw (Kentucky) Nida Hamilton (Northwestern) Lauren Caballero (Samford) Georgiana Sellyn (Vanderbilt)

9 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic (Purple Draw) ITA Code: Khristina Blajkevitch (Kentucky) Chaimaa Roudami (Georgia State) Kristy Dodge (Michigan) Consolation final Kristina Schleich (Florida State) Championship Flavia Nagayama (Middle Tennessee) Megan Gornet (Vanderbilt) Ashley Kitchens (Auburn) Natasha Prokhenvska (Georgia Tech)

10 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic (Green Draw) ITA Code: Yui Lynn Miao (Clemson) Plamena Kurteva (Auburn) Liem van Geel (Mississippi State) Consolation final Linn Timmermann (Georgia State) Championship Amy Lowther (UAB) Stephanie Fox (Kentucky) Irina Constantinide (Middle Tennessee) Laurence Porry (Florida State)

11 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic (Pink Draw) ITA Code: Edmee Morin-Kougoucheff (Kentucky) Adri Lochner (Samford) Jocelyn Ffriend (Georgia State) Consolation final Alli Robbins (Ole Miss) Championship Rachel Cohen (UAB) Nayara Moraes (Middle Tennessee) Maggie Leavell (Vanderbilt) Sarai Flores (Mississippi State)

12 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic (Gold Draw) ITA Code: Maryna Kozachenko (Georgia State) BYE Kozachenko BYE Menanteau Moolmah (UAB) Consolation final Grace Kimble (Kentucky) Championship Sarah Gail Niebur (Samford) Paige Keating (Ole Miss) BYE BYE Simon Elaine Simon (UAB)

13 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic (Black Draw) ITA Code: Abu-Mushrefova/Hamilton (Northwestern) Milutinovic/Verboven (Ole Miss) Altick/Sellyn (Vanderbilt) Consolation final Stiles/McGraw (Kentucky) Championship Patrasc/Tran (Mississippi State) Lewis/Caballero (Samford) Yurovsky/Zhu (Michigan) Woodard/Kurey (Georgia Tech)

14 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic (Silver Draw) ITA Code: Niu/Barnett (Northwestern) Daniel/Moolman (UAB) Grgan/Ffriend (Georgia State) Consolation final Flickinger/Schippers (Auburn) Championship Blajkevitch/Morin-Kougoucheff (Kentucky) Gumulya/Dewar (Clemson) Zabor/Maynetto (Alabama) Lee/Dodge (Michigan)

15 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic (Teal Draw) ITA Code: Prokhenvska/Minor (Georgia Tech) Ravita/Lewis (Kentucky) Brand/Moraes (Middle Tennessee) Consolation final Livadaru/Corning (Northwestern) Championship Cardenas/Kitchen (Auburn) Faught/Lowther (UAB) Byrd/Timmermann (Georgia State) Miao/Koelzer (Clemson)

16 2012 Roberta Alison Fall Classic (Bronze Draw) ITA Code: Kozachenko/Roudami (Georgia State) Perper/Flores (Mississippi State) Nomoto/Constantinide (Middle Tennessee) Consolation final Porry/Schleich (Florida State) Championship Fox/Trimble (Kentucky) Simon/Fernandez (UAB) Jansen (Alabama)/Kurteva (Auburn) Robbins/Keating (Ole Miss) Northcutt/Lochner (Samford) Colton/Leavell (Vanderbilt)