The 2005 Conference USA Women’s Tennis Championship is underway at TCU's Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The tournament concludes on Sunday, April 24 with the championship match scheduled for noon CST. Defending C-USA Champion Tulane, which currently holds a 20-5 overall record and has won 18 of its last 20 outings, is the top seed, while host TCU is the No. 2 seed. Both squads will receive a first-round bye.

Coming off three titles in the last four seasons, including back-to-back championships in 2003 and 2004, the Green Wave will take on the winner of seventh-seeded Charlotte and No. 10 UAB on Friday at noon.

No. 19 TCU, coming off three straight appearances in the C-USA final, including the 2002 Tournament title, earned the No. 2 seed, while USF, the No. 56 team in the country, garnered the No. 3 seed. The Horned Frogs concluded regular season play with an 18-3 overall record and hold wins over 12 ranked opponents. TCU will face the winner of eighth-seed Southern Miss and ninth-seed East Carolina on Friday at 3 p.m. The Bulls pulled off their seventh win of the season last Saturday, which gave the squad an even .500 (7-7) record for the season. USF will face Saint Louis on the first day of the tourney. Match time is set for Thursday at noon.

To start off the tournament, No. 70 Houston, which has been seeded at four, will face No. 13-seed Cincinnati at 9 a.m. on Thursday, while fifth-seeded DePaul squares off against twelfth-seeded Memphis.

The four-day event starts with four first round matches beginning at 9 a.m. The quarterfinals are Friday, April 22 beginning at noon, while the semifinals take place Saturday, April 23 beginning at noon. A ninth-place consolation round will also be played Friday and Saturday. The championship match is slated for Sunday, April 24 at noon. All main draw matches will take place at the Bayard H. Freeman Tennis Center. All times are Central.

For more information on the 2005 Conference USA Women’s Tennis Championship, please visit www.conferenceusa.com or the Tournament Headquarters,