Three members of the Lady Frogs’ tennis team, senior Ana Cetnik, sophomore Anna Sydorska and junior Kewa Nichols are set to travel to Pacific Palisades, Calif., this weekend for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s All-American Championship Tournament.Casey Angle, director of Communications for the ITA said this tournament is significant because it is where many top players from schools across the country get to compete against each other.

“This is the first of three big national tournaments,” Angle said. “The next is the National Indoor Championship held in Columbus, Ohio, in November. Then, the final championship tournament is held in May in Georgia.”

Interim head coach Jefferson Hammond said the ITA All-American Tournament plays a big role in how the players and team are nationally ranked.

“The tournament helps build individual rankings,” Hammond said. “The more players that are ranked, the higher we rise in the team polls that are released in a couple of months.”

The players qualified for this tournament due to their standings in the national tennis rankings.

In singles competition, Sydorska is ranked No. 80 nationally and Cetnik is ranked No. 114, while Cetnik and Sydorska are ranked No. 24 in doubles competition in the ITA ratings.

The three women will each compete individually in singles matches, and Cetnik and Sydorska will also compete in the doubles competition.

Hammond said he is confident in his players’ abilities and thinks they will do well in the tournament.

“As far as the singles competition goes, I think we should go about it systematically,” Hammond said. “As long as we take it one game at a time, we’re definitely capable of getting through the pre-qualifying rounds, especially when talking about Sydorska.”

Hammond said he’s especially confident in the team of Cetnik and Sydorska.

“I expect us to do very well in doubles competition,” Hammond said. “Due to their performances last year and this season thus far, I think they will do great.”

Cetnik and Sydorska recently proved their capabilities by winning the 2006 Baylor Fall Invitational in Waco.

Nichols also did well at the tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals in singles competition.

Sydorska is confident she will do well in singles and doubles competition in the tournament.

“When I go to play, I always expect to win,” Sydorska said. “Ana and I won the Baylor tournament, and I think we could win the whole tournament in California as well.