NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region First and Second Round Tournament

Ferris State Men Advance To NCAA Division II National Tournament

The Ferris State University men's tennis team advanced to the 2002 NCAA Division II National Tournament for the third consecutive season with a 5-3 win over Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) rival Wayne State in the final match of the Great Lakes Region First and Second Round Tournament on Saturday (May 4) morning at the FSU Racquet and Fitness Center in Big Rapids, Mich.

The Bulldogs, currently ranked 25th overall in the latest (April 26) Intercollegiate Tennis Association NCAA Division II national poll, won two of three doubles matches and split the singles round to reach the national tournament for the sixth time in school history.

Ferris' Matt and Jason Cole each won a singles match and teamed up to beat Mike Davis and Mikolaj Pontus by a score of 8-2 at the top doubles spot. FSU's Martin Hoch and Ian Westermann captured an 8-6 decision at the third doubles flight while Francisco Valencia beat WSU's Rohan Singh 6-1, 6-1 at the No. 1 singles spot.

Wayne State, which closed the 2002 campaign with an 18-9 overall mark, beat Missouri-St. Louis 5-2 in Friday's (May 3) opening round to advance to the regional final. The Bulldogs defeated West Virginia Wesleyan by a 5-0 count in Friday's opening match before beating the Warriors for the third time this season to claim its third consecutive regional title.

Ferris State improves to 14-5 overall and advances to the 16-team NCAA Division II Nationals (May 9-12) co-hosted by the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation and Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo. National pairings will be announced early next week.

Ferris State 5, Wayne State 3