FERRIS STATE TENNIS TEAMS ADVANCE TO NCAA-II SWEET SIXTEEN
Bulldog Men's & Women's Squads To Open Round Of 16 Play This Wednesday
 | Ferris State's men's & women's teams celebrate after claiming Great Lakes Regional titles last Friday at FSU's Racquet & Fitness Center |
The Ferris State University men’s and women’s tennis teams both advanced to this week's NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen by claiming Great Lakes Regional championships last Friday (May 6) at FSU's Racquet and Fitness Center in Big Rapids, Mich.
Both Ferris teams will now advance into the 16-team single elimination national championship field slated for this Wednesday thru Saturday (May 11-14) at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla. The Bulldog women's tennis team, which is ranked 18th in the current (April 27) Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division II national poll, will square off against South Region champion Valdosta State (Ga.) in Wednesday's (May 11) round of 16 while the 35th-ranked FSU men's squad will face West Florida of the South Region in the Sweet Sixteen. Valdosta State's third-ranked women's team is currently 17-2 overall while top-ranked West Florida is presently 26-2 overall this campaign in men's tennis action. The FSU-UWF men's match will start at 10:30 a.m. (EDT) with the Ferris-VSU women's tilt set for first serve at 4 p.m. (EDT).
The winner of Wednesday's Valdosta State-Ferris women's contest will meet the winner of the Abilene Christian (Texas)-Lynn (Fla.) match in Thursday's (May 12) national quarterfinals. The Bulldog men's team would battle either Lynn or Drury (Mo.) on Thursday by winning their opening match. The championship matches are scheduled for Saturday (May 14).
The Bulldog men’s tennis team claimed its sixth consecutive regional championship by defeating Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) member Southern Indiana by a 5-4 score in Friday's title match. Ferris, which is currently 13-9 overall this campaign, will advance to the round of 16 for the ninth time in school history. FSU is making its eighth-straight and 11th all-time tournament bid to date.
FSU's women’s squad, which is midst its 10th consecutive and 15th all-time NCAA Divison II Tournament appearance, reached the final round of 16 for the second time in four years and the sixth time overall by defeating fellow Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) member Grand Valley State 5-1 on Friday in the regional finals. The Bulldogs improved to 17-2 overall and earned their fifth regional crown in the last seven seasons to date.
The national championships will be co-hosted by the Central Florida Sports Commission and the Sunshine State Conference.
Last season (2003-04), both the Ferris State men's and women's teams registred their first-ever victories in the NCAA-II Sweet Sixteen as the Bulldog men defeated Kutztown (Pa.) 5-2 and the women's squad beat Millersville (Pa.) 5-0 in the round of 16 (May 12) held in Altamonte Springs. Fifth-year FSU women's head coach Dave Ramos is presently also serving as Ferris' interim men's tennis head coach this spring.
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