Michigan Earns NCAA Berth, Will Face Furman
4/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team received an at-large bid to the 2008 NCAA Division I Championship field, announced Tuesday (April 29) by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Wolverines (18-5) will head to Clemson, S.C., to face No. 69-ranked Furman (19-5) in first-round action on Friday, May 9 (11 a.m.) at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center.
"We're all very excited," said first-year U-M head coachRonni Bernstein. "Going into the year being so young, we really didn't know what to expect. We lost a lot of great players from last year, but everyone has stepped up this season. Our freshmen have played really well and have made a nice run. We also did what we needed to doat the Big Ten Championship. We put ourselves in position against Northwestern but unfortunately couldn't put it way. We're really looking forward to the NCAAs."
It marks the seventh straight NCAA bid for Michigan, which was the Big Ten Conference Championship runner-up after finishing second in the league's regular-season standings (9-1). With a victory over the Paladins, U-M would face the winner of No. 13-ranked Clemson (15-9) and Winthrop (15-7) on Saturday, May 10 (11 a.m.).
Furman earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship by recording a 4-0 victory over Davidson in the title match of the Southern Conference Tournament on April 20. The Paladins head into their fifth straight NCAA Championship on a high note, having earned wins in 14 of their last 15 matches. The Wolverines came away with a 9-0 road win during the two programs' only other previous meeting(May 4, 1982).
Clemson, which is hosting an NCAA regional for the fifth straight year, earned the Atlantic Coast Conference's automatic bid into the NCAAChampionship by posting a 4-3 victory over Duke in theACC Championshiptitle match on April 20. The Tigers, the 13th seed in the 64-team field, are making their seventh straight NCAA appearance.Clemson holds a 2-0 record in the all-time series with Michigan.
Winthrop received the Big South Conference's automatic bid with its 4-1 triumph over Coastal Carolina on April 19. The Lady Eagles have taken home the Big SouthTournament championship in eight of the last 10 seasons and are making their seventh NCAA appearance in eight years. U-M and Winthrop have never squared off against one another.
The regional winner advances to the 16-team NCAA Championship field which will compete for the national title May 15-20 at the University of Tulsa's Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla.
NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS
(Hoke Sloan Tennis Center, Clemson, S.C.)
Friday, May 9
Furman vs. #19 Michigan, 11 a.m.
Winthrop vs. #13 Clemson, 2 p.m.
Saturday, May 10
Michigan/Furman winner vs. Clemson/Winthrop winner, 11 a.m.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
