Sept. 21, 2006

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford women's tennis team will begin its fall campaign this weekend as it competes in the 21st Annual Roberta Alison Fall Classic hosted by the University of Alabama, Friday, Sept. 22 - Sunday, Sept. 24.

The Bulldogs will join eight other teams welcomed by the Crimson Tide including Auburn, Auburn-Montgomery, Birmingham-Southern, Mississippi State, UNC-Greensboro, Notre Dame, and Vanderbilt.

The 2006 Ohio Valley Conference Champions returns all members of the championship team including seniors Christie Baker, Bethany Benson, Sarah McKey, and Emily White. Juniors Anna Jackson and Katie McMiller and sophomore Whitnie Warren along with red-shirt freshman Whitney Flescher are also back looking for another conference championship.

The tournament is a tribute to the legendary Roberta Alison, who in 1963 became Alabama's first female athlete to participate on a men's varsity team. It was the first official move toward opening the door to women's varsity athletics at SEC member institutions.