USF Headed to Texas, Will Face Alabama in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament
TAMPA, April 29, 2019 – USF men's tennis returns to the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in six years and the Bulls' path to the championship round begins in Austin, Texas.
USF (17-7) will face Alabama (16-10) in Friday's opening round at the Texas Tennis Center (time TBA). Host and second-ranked Texas (23-3) will take on Tennessee Tech (10-13) in the other first-round matchup.
"We're looking forward to the opportunity," says head coach
Ashley Fisher. "We've said all along that when it gets tough, this is a good team that wants to be in those situations. It's something we talk about a lot, and we hope again on Friday that things are going to get tough. We want a long match, and that's exactly the sort of match that we train for and that we thrive in."
Opening weekend of the NCAA tournament features a single-elimination format and continues with second-round matches Saturday. The winner of each site advances to super-regional competition May 10 or 11.
Each super-regional site will feature two teams playing a single-elimination format. The super-regional winners advance to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, where the eight teams will compete for the national championship May 16-19. The event will be hosted by the University of Central Florida and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission.
The Bulls recently defeated rival UCF to clinch the American Athletic Conference Championship, their fifth conference tournament title in the past six years that earned them an automatic NCAA tournament bid. USF is making its 15
th NCAA tournament appearance in program history, the second under Fisher.
USF has had a challenging schedule this season, facing five opponents ranked in the top 25, including three top-10 foes. The Bulls also had a tough conference run, going 5-1 in the regular season.
About Men's Tennis
Be sure to follow USF men's tennis on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. Head coach Ashley Fisher will begin his third year at the helm of the program for the 2019 season after leading the Bulls to their fifth straight appearance in The American Championship.
– #GoBulls –
