The University of Mississippi Athletics
Jones Set for American Collegiate Invitational
9/9/2015 | Women's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - They share the same name and both are collegiate All-Americans. Thursday, recent Ole Miss women's tennis alum Julia Jones will face Virginia senior Julia Elbaba in the first round of the American Collegiate Invitational at the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center in New York.
It's the second year of the event that runs in conjunction with the US Open and features 16 of the top current or recent men's and women's collegiate tennis players in the nation. The event runs through Saturday. Jones received a wildcard into the event, which began last year as a way to spotlight college tennis during the US Open.
"It's very exciting to be here," Jones said. "I have never been to the US Open, so it's going to be a great experience. Today after practice I got to watch Victoria Azarenka and Simona Halep on Arthur Ashe [Stadium], which was really cool."
The American Collegiate Invitational champions will receive main draw wild card entries into the 2016 US Open if either is ranked No. 120 or better by the US Open entry deadline next summer. Otherwise, the winners will receive qualifying wild cards. The champions will also get wild cards into two USTA Pro Circuit events, while each runner-up will get one.
Jones ended her Ole Miss career as one of the best to suit up for the Rebels. She became the seventh Rebel to reach the 100-win club, finished ranked No. 12 in the nation and earned All-America and All-SEC first team honors.
The time for her match against Elbaba has not been announced yet, but Jones is looking forward to facing last year's runner-up in the first round.
"I am excited to play tomorrow, and I think it's going to be a good match," she said. "Julia is a great player, who I never had the chance to play in college. I've been practicing hard and had some good results this summer, so I am confident going into the tournament."
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWTennis, on Facebook at OleMissWTennis and on Instagram at OleMissWTennis. Also, follow head coach Mark Beyers on Twitter at @MarkBeyers.
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