TUCSON, Ariz. – While 37th-ranked Lauren Marker didn't compete in the Wildcat Invitational last weekend, she had a good reason for it as she was preparing for the Riviera ITA All-American Championships. The tournament is set to take place at the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. starting tomorrow.
 
Marker's invitation to this tournament is quite an honor, as this tournament has served as the ITA National Championship for 31 years. It is the first national championship tournament of the year and is loaded with ranked players.
 

"I always look forward to playing this event because it gives me the opportunity to play against the best in the country early on in the season," said Marker. "It allows me to implement the things we've been working on in practice over the past month in challenging situations. I'm feeling confident in my game right now after coming away with the win last week and I'm hoping to build on that. I can't wait to represent Arizona one last time at All Americans."

Last season, Marker spent the season as Arizona's No.1 player. She went 19-8, with all of her wins coming from the team's top spot. She was a member of the Pac-12 First Team and finished last season ranked 55th in the country before climbing up to 37th this year.
 
Marker's first match is scheduled for Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. MST against Kimmy Guerin of Wake Forest. If she is able to move on, she would play her second match at 4 p.m. MST. The tournament draw can be found here and the live stream is available here. 
 
FOLLOW WOMEN'S TENNIS ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Arizona women's tennis by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/ArizonaWomensTennis), Twitter (@ArizonaWTennis) and Instagram (arizonawtennis).