Women’s Tennis Selected to Host NCAA First and Second Rounds
Tuesday, April 28, 2015 | Women's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida women's tennis team was selected as one of 16 hosts of the NCAA Championships first and second rounds, the NCAA Committee announced on Tuesday evening from Indianapolis.
The event will run May 8-9 at UF's Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
The schedule of team play in Gainesville is as follows:
| Friday, May 8 * Women's NCAA First Round | |
| 12 p.m. | Georgia Tech vs. Wichita State |
| 3 p.m. | Florida vs. Bethune Cookman |
| Saturday, May 9 * Women's NCAA First Round | |
| 1 p.m. | Friday's First Round winners |
Complete NCAA Women's Tennis Championship Draw:
The Championship Site
· This season the Baylor University's Hurd Tennis Center plays host to the combined men's and women's tournament from the round of 16 through the final, followed by the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, May 20-25.
· The women's action gets underway on Friday, May 15.
Women's First & Second Rounds in Gainesville at a Glance
· The Gator women received the No. 5 seed in the 64-team draw.
· Florida (21-3) faces Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion Bethune-Cookman (22-6) for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2001 in its NCAA First Round contest on Fri., May 9 at 3 p.m. ET.
· The other NCAA Women's First Round match played in Gainesville will be held on Friday beginning at 12 Noon and features No. 27 Georgia Tech (16-9), which reached the final of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and received an at-large NCAA berth, versus No. 33 Wichita State (24-3), which earned an automatic berth as Missouri Valley Conference champions.
Florida Women at the NCAA Championships
· UF has been selected to host first and second round matches every year since the NCAA Women's Championships expanded its field to 64 teams in 1999.
· The Gators have participated in the 33 of the 34 NCAA Championships, missing only the 1986 event.
· The Gators won six NCAA team titles: 1992, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2011 and 2012.
· UF has advanced to at least the NCAA Semifinals 23 times in the last 27 years, including last season when the team fell to eventual champion UCLA.
Quick Glance at the Women's NCAA Field of 64
· Florida played 18 of its 24 matches this season against teams that made the NCAA Tournament field of 64 and posted an 15-3 record versus those clubs.
· The Florida women's team is one of 12 SEC schools in the 2015 field.
· Five SEC programs were selected to play host to the first and second rounds: Vanderbilt (No. 4 overall seed), Florida (No. 5 seed), Georgia (No. 6 overall), Alabama (No. 13 seed) and Texas A&M (No. 10 seed).
· Of the other 15 seeds, the Gators faced nine of them during the regular season.
Quoting UF Women's Head Coach Roland Thornqvist
“We're delighted to host the NCAA opening rounds again here in Gainesville. It's a privilege to host and one that we don't take lightly. We've playing great tennis at home all year. We're counting on great Florida weather and a terrific crowd to help carry this through this weekend. We haven't seen much of Bethune-Cookman or Wichita State this year so we're going to have to find out about their players. We know that Georgia Tech has some of the best doubles pairings in the country.”
NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships
· The men's and women's NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships run May 14-25 in Waco, Texas.
· The announcement of the participants for the 64-player singles field and the 32-doubles draw will be held on Wed., April 29.
· The names of the men's and women's individuals selected posted to the www.NCAA.com no later than 6 p.m. ET.
· The draws will be unveiled on Monday, May 18.
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