Oct. 5, 2012

Athens, Ga. - The 19th-ranked Virginia women's golf team is in ninth place following the opening round of the Liz Murphey Fall Preview taking place at the University of Georgia Golf Course. The Cavaliers shot 10-over 298 during Friday's play and were led by the 2-under performance of senior All-American Brittany Altomare.

Altomare placed sixth at last year's Liz Murphey Classic.

The Fall Preview is taking place at the site of the 2013 NCAA Championships. The 18-team field includes 10 teams currently ranked in the Golfstat top-25 poll.

Cavalier freshman Alex Hershberger had UVa's second best score, shooting 3-over 75. It marked the first time she has played in the Virginia lineup as a scoring player. Hershberger finished the first round in 32nd place.

Elizabeth Brightwell shot 4-over 76 and is in 42nd place. Portland Rosen rounded out the Cavalier scoring with a 77 to stand 54th. Briana Mao was in 77th place after posting a score of 79.

Auburn, ranked No. 12 entering the event, leads the field at 1-under 287. UCLA is second at 294. The Bruins' Erynne Lee posted the best first-round score at 4-under 68.

The second round of the tournament is set for Saturday and the final round will be played Sunday. Live scoring is online at Golfstat.com.

Liz Murphey Fall Preview
University of Georgia Golf Course
Athens, Ga.
Par-72, 6,335 yards
First Round Results

Team Results
 1. Auburn          287
 2. UCLA            294
 3. USC             295
 3. Denver          295
 5. Georgia         296
 5. Alabama         296
 7. North Carolina  297
 7. Vanderbilt      297
 9. Virginia        298
10. Oklahoma        299
10. Texas A&M       299
12. Tulane          300
12. Purdue          300
14. Tennessee       302
14. Duke            302
16. South Carolina  305
16. LSU             305
18. California      306
Individual Leaders
1. Erynne Lee, UCLA            68
2. Collins Bradshaw, Georgia   69
2. Tonje Daffinrud, Denver     69
4. Stephanie Meadow, Alabama   70
4. Brittany Altomare, Virginia 70
6. Hannah Collier, Alabama     71
6. Sophia Popov, USC           71
6. Paula Reto, Purdue          71
6. Diana Fernandez, Auburn     71
6. Marta Sanz, Auburn          71
Virginia Results
 4. Brittany Altomare    70
32. Alex Hershberger     75
42. Elizabeth Brightwell 76
54. Portland Rosen       77
77. Briana Mao           79