Match Times Set for NCAA Regional at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center
May 10, 2006 | Men's Tennis
May 10, 2006
Louisville, Ky. - The No. 27-ranked University of Louisville men's tennis team (18-7) will face No. 37-ranked Southern Methodist University (17-8) on Friday, May 12 at 1:00 p.m. at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center in the first round of NCAA regional competition. Friday's first match will feature the region's top-seed and No. 8-ranked Illinois against Western Illinois at 10:00 a.m. The winner of these two matches will square off in the regional finals on Saturday at noon.
This is the first time in school history the University of Louisville has been selected as a host site for first and second round regional play of the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship. The team is heading into their first round match against SMU at home holding a 47-match regular season home winning streak. This will be the first meeting between the two schools. Should the Cardinals advance, they will meet the winner of the Illinois (22-6) and Western Illinois (14-7) match. Head Coach Rex Ecarma, the BIG EAST Coach of the Year, will lead the Cardinals in their third consecutive and fifth overall NCAA regional appearance. Last season was the first time Louisville made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament, defeating Notre Dame 4-1 and then falling to host Illinois 4-1 in the second round.
The Cards finished the regular season with an 18-7 overall record and won the BIG EAST Tournament in their first season as part of the league, and received an automatic NCAA tournament bid. U of L has won its last three matches, and their most recent loss was on April 13 to then No. 17 Notre Dame (4-0) in the final match of the regular season. The Cards then defeated the Irish (4-2) in the finals of the conference tournament to claim the title.
No. 37 SMU received an at-large bid, after being upset by eventual Conference USA champions Tulsa, and will be making their 10th consecutive and 20th overall appearance in the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship. The Mustangs hold a top 10 ranking in the number of all-time appearances and ranks fourth overall in all-time winning percentage at NCAA Championships.
The Illinois Fighting Illini, who are ranked eighth in the nation, are coming off a second place finish to Ohio State in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, ending their four year reign as conference champions, and received an at-large bid to participate in the national tournament. This will be the Illini's 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Should the Cards face the Illini it will be the fourth meeting between the two schools, with Illinois leading the series 3-0.
The Western Illinois Leathernecks captured the Mid-Continent Conference's automatic bid by upsetting Valpariso and Oral Roberts enroute to claiming the Mid-Con title and halting Oral Roberts' five straight Mid-Con crowns. It was Western's first conference title since 1996. Head coach Michael Hunt, the Mid-Continent Coach of the Year, will lead the Western Illinois squad to the first NCAA Tournament in the program's history. Should the Cards face the Leathernecks it will be the third meeting between the two schools, with Louisville leading the series 2-0.
The teams will play a single-elimination tournament at 16 first- and second-round sites (four teams at each site) and the finals site (16-team bracket) to determine the national champion. The matches shall be regulation dual matches with three (3) eight-game, pro-set doubles played for one team point, followed by six (6) singles matches, each valued at one team point, played best of three sets. Regular scoring will be used and a 12-point tiebreaker will be played at eight games all in doubles and at six games all in singles. The selection of teams and individuals for the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships is based on the prescribed criteria listed in the championships handbook and approved by the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet. Thirty-one conferences receive automatic qualification into the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships.
Ticket prices for the NCAA regional matches played at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center May 12-13 will be $5 for students with ID and senior citizens and $8 general admission (children 2 and under are free) for an all session pass. For individual session tickets students with ID and senior citizens will be charged $3 per session and general admission will be $5 (children 2 and under are free). Call 502-852-5151 for ticket information.
