Michigan Draws Notre Dame in NCAA First Round
4/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The No. 35-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team received an at-large bid to the 2009 NCAA Division I Championship field, announced Tuesday (April 28) by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Wolverines (13-14) will head to Columbus, Ohio, to face No. 29-ranked Notre Dame (13-12) in first-round action on Friday, May 8, at 10 a.m. at the Stickney Tennis Center. It marks the second time in the last four seasons that the Maize and Blue will begin NCAA play on the Ohio State University campus.
"We've had a strong finish to the season, winning seven of our last nine matches," said U-M head coach Bruce Berque. "That strong finish has allowed us to get into the NCAA Championship and have a chance at playing our best tennis at the end of the year on a national stage, which was one of our main goals the entire season. We've always felt that if we could regroup and get into the tournament, we would be capable of doing some damage and advancing. You'd like to have your team have a different experience against a new team, but I think our guys are looking forward to having another crack at Notre Dame now that we're playing better. We have a lot of respect for their program and we always have good matches with them. It will be a good barometer for how we've improved as a team this year."
It marks the fourth straight NCAA bid for the Wolverines, who earned a semifinal finish at last weekend's Big Ten Tournament after finishing in a tie for fourth place in the conference's regular-season standings (6-4). With a victory over the Fighting Irish, Michigan would face the winner of No. 3 Ohio State (31-1) and Xavier (17-7) on Saturday, May 9, at noon.
Notre Dame received an at-large selection to the NCAA Championship, marking the program's 18th appearance in the last 19 years. The Fighting Irish have been victorious in four of their last seven outings, including a 4-3 home win over then No. 9-ranked Illinois on March 29. Next Friday's match will mark the 70th meeting between Michigan and Notre Dame, with the Wolverines holding a 41-28 lead in the all-time series. The Irish have won six of the last seven meetings, including a 5-2 victory in South Bend, Ind., earlier this season (March 4, 2009).
Ohio State enters the NCAA Championship as the No. 3 overall seed after claiming its fourth straight Big Ten Tournament title last weekend in Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes' only loss this season came at the hands of then No. 8-ranked Tennessee in the quarterfinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Columbus on Feb. 14 (4-3). Michigan holds a 72-25-2 lead in the all-time series with Ohio State, but the Buckeyes have won the last 12 meetings. OSU has defeated U-M twice in Ann Arbor this month -- 6-1 during the regular season on April 5 and 4-1 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals (April 25).
Xavier received an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship by earning its second straight Atlantic 10 Championship title last weekend in Monroeville, Pa. The Musketeers have been triumphant in 14 of their last 17 outings dating back to Feb. 8. Michigan and Xavier have never faced each other before.
The regional winner advances to the 16-team NCAA Team Championship field, which will compete for the national title May 14-19 at Texas A&M University's George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.
NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS
(Stickney Tennis Center, Columbus, Ohio)
Friday, May 8
Michigan vs. Notre Dame, 10 a.m.
Xavier vs. #3 Ohio State, 1 p.m.
Saturday, May 9
Notre Dame/Michigan winner vs. Ohio State/Xavier winner, Noon
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 645-0045
