Michigan Earns Fifth Straight NCAA Championship Bid
5/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The No. 29 University of Michigan women's tennis team received a bid to the 2006 NCAA Division I Championship field announced today (Wednesday, May 3) by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. This is the fifth consecutive season that U-M has received an at-large selection to the 64-team field, and in the process the Wolverines gained their eighth overall appearance in the national tournament (1996-98, 2002-06).
"Our girls have earned it; this bid is very well deserved," said head coach Bitsy Ritt. "It was the ultimate goal of ours throughout the season. We expected to get in, but it's reassuring to see your name in the draw."
The Wolverines (16-7) will head to South Bend, Ind., to face No. 41 Nebraska (17-9) in first-round action on Friday, May 12 (10 a.m.) at the Courtney Tennis Center. With a victory against the Cornhuskers, the Wolverines would face the winner of No. 2 Notre Dame (24-1) and Valparaiso (15-7) on Saturday, May 13 (1 p.m.).
Friday's match will be the first-ever meeting between Michigan and Nebraska. The Wolverines hold an 8-16 record in the all-time series with Notre Dame, including a 6-1 loss in Ann Arbor back on Feb. 15, and U-M has never faced Valparaiso in dual match competition.
"We don't know too much about Nebraska at this point, but we will definitely be ready," said Ritt. "Obviously the draw is very competitive, no matter what region you're in. It's always a dogfight. Whoever advances is going to see a really good team in Notre Dame. They're ranked No. 2 in the nation and their record is 24-1. They've had just a great year, they've worked hard and they're very solid in doubles and singles. They put a lot of balls in the court and really make you earn it."
The regional winner advances to the 16-team NCAA Championship field which will compete for the national title May 18-22 at the Stanford University's Taube Family Tennis Center in Palo Alto, Calif.
Michigan is fresh off a runner-up finish at the 2006 Big Ten Conference Championship, held last week (April 27-30) in Champaign, Ill. After a quarterfinal victory over Wisconsin, the third-seeded Wolverines knocked off No. 2 seed Iowa in dramatic fashion to advance to the final. U-M lost by a score of 4-2 to top seed Northwestern in the championship match, marking the eighth straight season that the Wildcats have earned the conference crown.
NCAA Regional
(Courtney Tennis Center, South Bend, Ind.)
| Friday, May 12 | #41 Nebraska (17-9) vs. #29 Michigan (16-7), 10 a.m. |
| | Valparaiso (15-7) vs. #2 Notre Dame (24-1), 1 p.m. |
| Saturday, May 13 | Winners of Friday matches, 1 p.m. |
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
