Men’s Tennis Earns NCAA Berth, Plays Pepperdine in First Round
Tuesday, April 28, 2015 | Men's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida men's tennis team was selected to the 64-team field, announced by the NCAA Committee announced on Tuesday evening from Indianapolis.
The Gators will face Pepperdine (17-9) in the first round of the NCAA Championships at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex on the campus of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Friday, May 8 at 12 Noon, ET.
The schedule of team play in Winston-Salem is as follows:
| Friday, May 8 * Men's NCAA First Round | |
| 12 p.m. | FLORIDA vs. Pepperdine |
| 3 p.m. | Wake Forest vs. George Washington |
| Saturday, May 9 * Men's NCAA First Round | |
| 3 p.m. | Friday's First Round winners |
COMPLETE 2015 NCAA Men's Team 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.
· The men's NCAA Round of 16 action gets underway on Thursday, May 14.
Men's First & Second Rounds in Winston-Salem at a Glance
· Wake Forest is the No. 12 seed in the 64-team draw and ranked No. 11 in the country.
· Florida (14-8), ranked No. 21, faces West Coast Conference Tournament runner-up and No. 42-ranked Pepperdine (17-9) for the ninth time in program history in its NCAA First Round contest on Fri., May 9 at 12 Noon, ET.
· Pepperdine leads the all-time series against the Gators, 3-5, including a 2-0 Wave advantage in NCAA matches, most recently in the 2006 Round of 16.
· The other NCAA Men's First Round match played in Winston-Salem on Friday at 3 p.m. ET, features host Wake Forest (22-7), the runner-up at the ACC Tournament, versus George Washington (13-12), which earned an automatic berth as Atlantic 10 Conference champions.
Florida Men at the NCAA Championships
· Gators head coach Bryan Shelton has guided UF to earn its third berth in as many years under his tutelage.
· Florida has made the NCAA Men's Championships for 24 consecutive years, dating back to 1991.
· The Gator men have advanced to the NCAA semifinals twice, with its last semifinals appearance coming in 2005 when UF fell to eventual runner-up Baylor, 4-1, in College Station.
· Last year, the Gators advanced to the NCAA Round of 16, where they dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker to No. 3 Ohio State.
Quick Glance at the Men's NCAA Field of 64
· Florida played 16 of its 22 matches this season against teams that made the NCAA Tournament field of 64.
· The Florida men's team is one of eight SEC schools in the 2015 field.
· SEC programs selected to play host to the first and second rounds: Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas A&M
Quoting UF Men's Head Coach Bryan Shelton
“We're excited to compete again. We knew we blew our opportunity to host and didn't do enough to earn that honor. I feel like this group is gritty and is ready to do it the hard way. Certainly, Pepperdine is a quality program. They've won a national championship and have some good history on their side. We know that it's going to be a really tough match and excited at the same time for the challenge. The last couple days were great for our guys and we've honed in on what we need to be working on. I feel really good about extending the season and hopefully we can keep it going for a while.”
NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships
· The men's and women's NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships run May 20-25 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 25.
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