MALIBU, Calif. – As has become tradition for the three-time Big Sky Player of the Year,
Marianna Petrei will begin the season at the Oracle ITA Masters at the Malibu Racquet Club at Pepperdine University, Sept. 20-23.
The national tournament features the rising stars of tennis - 32 of the top men's and women's singles players in the United States. These elite college tennis players will face off in singles and pair up in mixed doubles over the course of the weekend. Friday, Sept. 21, will be 'Friday Night Live', with matches and live music from 6-9 p.m. Admission all weekend is free.
"This achievement is a reward for her playing so well when it matters the most; in conference matches," said head coach
Babar Akbar. "It takes a lot of effort to maintain the level that she has been able to play at, and every year she's still getting better. She's excited, I'm excited, and this year we're going to try and make an impact. She knows what she's up against and she's looking forward to the competition."
This is event is nothing new for Petrei, who has been the Big Sky representative twice before. She won one match in each of her two previous trips to the event. Petrei was also successful in the mixed doubles, pairing up with the Big Sky's men's representative to take down the pairing from the Pac-12 in 2016.
"This is one of the few tournaments where there is a very good balance of competition and just getting to meet other student-athletes," Akbar added. "As a coach, you get to interact with other amazing coaches and you get to learn, and I want the players to be able to do that as well.
"This year will be even better because she'll be playing with the same person she played with last year. She was so surprised in how nice he was. We compete against these teams, and we have each other in our crosshairs the whole year, but when you finally get to meet the people and relax, you realize we all speak the same language."
Petrei entered the season ranked No. 20 by the ITA. It is the ranking of her career and is the highest ranking in Idaho history. Petrei is the one of three non-Power Five student-athletes ranked in the top-25, with the other two hailing from perennially ranked West Coast Conference schools. Petrei is also the only Big Sky student-athlete ranked in the top-125.
Stay up-to-date on all things Idaho women's tennis by following the team on Twitter @IdahoWTennis.
