ROME, Ga. – Flagler College sophomore Eden Schlagenhauf has had a whirlwind year-plus as a tennis player. She caps this fall season as an at-large selection to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Cup, Oct. 17-20, at the Rome Tennis Center.

"I am very proud of Eden," said Rodrigo Puebla, head women's tennis coach. "Making it far in the regional tournament was one of her goals, and being selected to play at nationals is an amazing reflection of her hard work. Eden's accomplishment is a feat that nobody has achieved at our tennis program since we moved to NCAA Division II. She is setting the bar for the next generation of players and this will help our program as a whole." 

The ITA Cup brings together the eight regional champions in singles and doubles. There are a minimum of eight at-large selections for singles and doubles. Of the eight at-large selections, four selections are made from a pool of regional finalists. The four finalists from with the highest national ranking from the previous year will be selected for at-large spots.

Schlagenhauf, the 2019 Peach Belt Conference's Freshman of the Year, finished the year ranked No. 65 in NCAA Division II, according to the final Oracle/ITA rankings.

Last month at the ITA Southeast Regional in Sumter, South Carolina, Schlagenhuaf, a No. 5 seed, advanced to the singles final where she lost to Luise Sachs of Columbus State University in three sets.  

"I was really down after the final," said Schlagenhauf, "but when I heard that I could still qualify as an at-large for the ITA Cup, I was happy. I realized that I would have another tournament to focus on and to practice. It is a chance I need to use, which is not only important for me, but for the team, and Flagler."

To get ready for a big tournament like this, a player needs to be at the top of their game as they are going to face the best competition at this level.

"We have a played in a lot of tournaments already so we feel prepared," said Schlagenhauf. "Every game we play we get better. We give our best all of the time."

This fall, she has a 9-2 record in singles play over three different tournaments. Schlagenhauf went a perfect 3-0 at the ERAU Open to open the fall season before going 5-1 at the ITA Southeast Regional. This past weekend, at the YTF Small Florida College Tournament, she split her two matches.

Although the Nuertingen, Germany native is a little nervous heading to the tournament, she is confident in her abilities. This experience can also catapult her into the spring season.

"The ITA Cup will help me a lot as I'll have a chance to move up in the individual rankings," said Schlagenhauf. "It's a great thing for our team too as they have seen how well we have played this fall."  

She departs for Rome, Georgia tomorrow.

"I'm just going to play, give my best, and see what will happen," said Schlagenhauf.

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