Week #15: Maize & Blue Back in NCAA Tournament
5/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
May 10, 2016
» U-M will face off against first-time opponent East Tennessee State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The first and second rounds are being hosted by No. 6 seed Wake Forest.
» U-M is looking for its first NCAA Tournament win since a 4-0 win over Middle Tennessee State in the 2012 edition.
THIS WEEK
NCAA First and Second Round
Friday, May 13 -- vs. East Tennessee State - NCAA Tournament first round (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Noon
With a win...
Saturday, May 14 -- vs. Wake Forest/Coastal Carolina - NCAA Tournament second round (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 3 p.m.
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The No. 24-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team (20-7) makes its return to the NCAA Tournament this weekend, heading to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for the first and second rounds at Wake Forest. U-M will face off against East Tennessee State on Friday (May 13) in the first round. With a win, the Maize and Blue will square off against either No. 6 seed Wake Forest or Coastal Carolina on Saturday (May 14), with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
NCAA RULES
The NCAA has adapted new rules this year for tennis, which will be in effect all year long. Doubles action will begin immediately with no warmup, so fans are encouraged to arrive on time for matches. In addition, each doubles match will be one set to six, with a tiebreaker occurring at 6-all. The team that wins two-of-three matches will secure the doubles point. Following a five-minute intermission, singles action will begin with each match worth one point towards the team score. Matches in progress when the dual match is clinched will be abandoned in postseason play. There will be no-ad scoring in both singles and doubles action.
WEATHER POLICY
Matches shall be played outdoors unless the projected weather forecast, for a minimum of two hours out of a four-hour time period from the start of the match, according to www.weather.com is: a high of less than 50 degrees or sustained winds (not including wind gusts) of more than 20 miles per hour.
WOLVERINE BITES
• The Wolverines are back in the NCAA Tournament after a one-year absence. Michigan joins No. 6 seed and host Wake Forest, Coastal Carolina and East Tennessee State in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is the 10th time in the last 11 seasons that Michigan is participating in the NCAA Tournament.
• Michigan is making its 26th NCAA Tournament appearance since 1977. The Wolverines are 11-25 in NCAA action and are looking for their first tournament win since knocking off Middle Tennessee State, 4-0, in the 2012 edition.
• Of the 11 players on this year's roster, junior Kevin Wong is the only Wolverine with NCAA Tournament experience. Wong played at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles in U-M's last NCAA appearance, a 4-2 loss to Oklahoma State in 2013.
• Michigan will face a first-time opponent in East Tennessee State to kick off the 2016 NCAA Tournament. U-M has not played a first-time foe all season. Michigan is 6-3 all-time against Wake Forest and has never played Coastal Carolina, U-M's potential second-round opponents.
• The Wolverines have advanced past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament three times since 1980, coming in 1980 (Sweet 16), 1988 (Final Four) and 2008 (Sweet 16). Following this weekend, the remainder of the NCAA Tournament will be hosted by the University of Tulsa.
• Michigan has recorded 20 wins this season, the first time U-M has reached the 20-win mark since the 2008 season. It is the fifth 20-win season in school history. The Wolverines won 28 matches during the 1987 season, the most in program history.
• The Wolverines have been effective at the bottom of the lineup, compiling a 38-8 mark at No. 5 and No. 6. The effort has been spearheaded by junior Kevin Wong, who is 10-1 between the two spots, and freshman Myles Schalet, who is 8-4 at No. 5 and No. 6.
• U-M stayed at No. 24 in this week's ITA rankings after the conclusion of the regular season. Michigan has been in the top 25 for the last 10 rankings releases. The Wolverines began the season outside the top 75. There will not be new rankings released until the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament.
• Six of Michigan's seven losses have come to teams ahead of the Wolverines in the rankings -- No. 5 Ohio State (twice), No. 14 Northwestern, No. 15 Illinois, No. 17 South Florida and No. 20 Kentucky. Michigan, which is No. 24 this week, has wins over No. 23 Tulsa and No. 25 Columbia.
• Michigan has won the doubles point in 17 matches this season, going 17-0 in those matches. U-M is 3-7 when dropping the match's first point, coming back to win the match three times when dropping the first point (Alabama, Tulsa and Indiana).
• Michigan has made quite a turnaround in head coach Adam Steinberg's second season. The Wolverines have nearly tripled last year's win total from seven in 2014-15 to 20 victories through 27 matches in 2015-16. [ Michigan Daily Column ]
• Sophomore Carter Lin leads U-M in singles wins with 22 as the first Wolverine to reach the 20-win plateau this season. Junior Kevin Wong is the other Wolverine in the 20-win club with a 20-5 record. Junior/sophomore Davis Crocker has 19 wins, and junior/sophomore Alex Knight checks in with 16 victories.
• In the latest edition of the ITA rankings, junior Jathan Malik comes in at No. 96 in singles action.
• Through 27 team matches, Michigan has picked up 91 singles wins. Last season in 24 dual matches, the Wolverines totaled 46 singles victories.
Communications Contact: Sarah VanMetre
