FERRIS TENNIS TEAMS GARNER NCAA-II NATIONAL TOURNEY BIDS

Bulldog Men’s & Women’s Teams To Hit Road For Regional Play

Each of the following eight regions will conduct two first and second-round regional tournaments: East, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, South, Great Lakes, Central, North Central and West. Both the Northwood and Drury men's and women's teams were selected to host Great Lakes Regional play. Sixteen men's and women's regional tournaments will be held with the winner of each advancing into the 16-team single-elimination national championship field slated for May 10-13 in Kansas City, Mo.

The Bulldog men's tennis team, which is currently ranked 34th overall in the latest Fila Division II Collegiate Tennis National Rankings, will compete in one of two NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournaments May 4-5 at Northwood University in Midland, Mich. FSU will square off against Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opponent Grand Valley State on Thursday (May 4) at 9 a.m. (EDT). The other first-round match in the Northwood regional pits league member Lake Superior State against the conference champion Timberwolves in an 11 a.m. (EDT) encounter with the winners slated to meet Friday (May 5) in the final at 10 a.m. (EDT).

The unranked FSU women's squad will square off against host Drury (Mo.) Friday (May 5) at 2 p.m. (EDT) in Great Lakes Regional play at DU's Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Mo. The other women's match in the four-team Drury regional pits Grand Valley State against Wayne State. The women's regional final will be held Saturday (May 6) at 11 a.m. (EDT).

The selections of teams for the championship was based on prescribed criteria listed in the NCAA-II Men's and Women's Tennis Championships Handbook and approved by the NCAA-II Championships Committee.

The Ferris State men's team, presently 15-7 overall, will be making its ninth consecutive and 12th overall NCAA-II Regional Tournament appearance. Last season (2005), FSU defeated Southern Indiana 5-4 in the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional final (May 6) held at FSU's Racquet and Fitness Center. The victory marked Ferris' sixth consecutive regional title and ninth overall berth in the national finals round where FSU fell to West Florida (May 11) by a 5-1 count in the round of 16 at Altamonte Springs, Fla.

Ferris State placed second overall at the 2006 GLIAC Men's Tennis Tournament under head coach Dave Ramos as a result of dropping a 5-0 decision to Northwood in the league tourney final (April 15) at the Midland Community Tennis Center. FSU, which had played host to men's regional action the last four years, advanced to the conference championship match for the eighth consecutive campaign.

The 10-5 Bulldog women's team will be making its 11th consecutive regional tournament appearance. Ferris State beat Grand Valley State 5-1 in the 2005 NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional title match (May 6) at Big Rapids. FSU has earned five regional tournament championships in the last seven years to date and is making its 16th overall tournament bid. The Bulldogs have advanced to the NCAA-II Championship round of 16 six times, including last season (May 11) when they fell to Valdosta State (Ga.) 5-0 at Altamonte Springs. FSU is guided by first-year head coach Jing "Amy" Sun.

Click Here For Men's National Release/Bracket

Click Here For Women's National Release/Bracket