Ragini Acharya Wins ITA Summer Nationals

The Tribe sophomore garners a wild card spot in the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships in October.

08/14/07 5:30PM

Bloomington, Ind. - William and Mary women’s tennis player Ragini Acharya wrapped up competition at the ITA National Summer Championships, taking home the women’s singles championship on Monday. With the title, Acharya earned a wild card entry into the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships, the first national tournament of the 2007-08 collegiate season, in October.

Acharya continued her tear through higher seeded players in the semifinals. The Pulaski, Va., native defeated No. 4-seeded Kellie Schmitt of Marshall, 6-4, 7-5, to earn a berth in the finals. It marked the fifth-straight match during the tournament in which Acharya did not drop a set. Schmitt finished last season ranked No. 73 nationally in the final ITA singles rankings.

In the finals, Acharya jumped out to a set lead, taking the first 6-3 over fellow No. 9-16 seed Brook Buck of Notre Dame. Buck pulled even, taking the second set, 6-2, before Acharya pulled out the win in the decisive third set, 10-8.

The ITA National Summer Championships presented by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) are the pinnacle of the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit, which was played at 24 regional sites throughout the country last month. This year, 2,589 players participated in circuit events, the second highest participation total since its inception in 1993 and just shy of last year’s record of 2,624.

Acharya finished her rookie season with the Tribe at 32-5 overall. She won a school-record 27-straight matches during the year and established a W&M freshman record for singles winning percentage (.865). Acharya finished the campaign ranked No. 12 according to the ITA in the East Region. She was a First-Team All-CAA and VaSID All-State selection, while taking home Rookie of the Year honors from both organizations.