ATHENS, Ga. — LSU women’s tennis players, Bruna Colosio and Amy McIlhaney, are both set to begin play Friday morning in the 2001 Georgia Invitational being held here at the Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Tennis Center in Athens, Ga.
“This weekend’s tournament will benefit both Bruna and Amy tremendously,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “There will be some tough competition in the event, and there are a lot of highly-talented players in the field, but I think that our girls will do just fine.”
The 2001 Georgia Invitational consists of a 48-player singles draw with a 24-player consolation bracket for first-round losers, as well as a 24-team doubles draw. Many of the nation’s top women’s tennis players from a total of 11 schools will compete in the tournament.
The 11 schools that have participants in this weekend’s field are Armstrong Atlantic State, Brenau, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kansas State, Kentucky, LSU, and Mississippi State.
The defending National Champion Georgia Lady Bulldogs will host the event and is currently the second-ranked team in the nation. LSU are the only other ranked school in the field at No. 23.
LSU’s Colosio enters the tournament as the 44th-ranked singles player in the nation. Last season, she posted a 38-9 overall record and finished the year as the sixth-ranked player in Division I.
Unfortunately, in the fall of 2000, she injured her shoulder during competition at the ITA National Claycourt Championships and was forced to sit out the remainder of the fall season. The 2001 Georgia Invitational marks Colosio’s comeback, as well as the resuming of her quest to be the top singles player in the nation.
“Bruna’s been playing pretty well lately,” Minnis explained. “She’s not quite back to being 100-percent, but she’s been practicing well for the last month, and I’m looking forward to watching her battle on the court again.”
McIlhaney, the Lady Tigers’ fierce competitor from Marietta, Ga., is returning home this weekend to take part in the 2001 Georgia Invitational. During the fall tournaments, she compiled a 3-2 record and is currently in the midst of a two-match winning streak. The duo of Colosio and McIlhaney will play together in the doubles portion of the event.
Both McIlhaney and Colosio begin singles play in the opening round of the 2001 Georgia Invitational, Friday morning in Athens, Ga.