Bulls Face Alabama in First Round of NCAA Tournament
TAMPA, May 2, 2019 – A poised and ready USF team enters the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship with a No. 37 national ranking and a drive to advance to the second round of the tournament.
Head coach
Ashley Fisher's Bulls begin single-elimination competition with a first-round test against No. 23 Alabama on Friday at 10 a.m. at the Texas Tennis Center (University of Texas). If USF wins Friday, it will face the Texas-Tennessee Tech winner Saturday at 4 p.m.
USF (17-8) earned one of the tournament's 30-automatic bids after securing its fifth American Athletic Conference Championship title on April 21. The Bulls take a three-match win streak into the program's 15th NCAA appearance.
USF is led by three-time conference player of the week
Alberto Barroso-Campos (Montijo, Spain) at the No. 1 spot. Barroso-Campos (No. 15) is the league's tournament Most Outstanding Player, sporting a 20-2 record in singles and 9-7 showing as a member of the nation's 88
th-best doubles team. Freshman
Chase Ferguson (Melbourne, Australia) clinched the winning point for USF at The American Championship and looks to improve to 14-6 on the second court.
"There's work to be done," Fisher said. "We've been a very process-oriented team from the beginning, focusing on what we need to do in order to be our best selves. Preparation, competing, and optimism are the centerpieces of our championship-culture pyramid."
Fisher went on to note that these elements are what has kept the Bulls on the winning side of six 4-3 matches this season.
Scouting the Opponent
Alabama (16-10) was on a three-match win streak before falling to No. 3 Florida in the SEC Tournament. The Crimson Tide boasts two ranked players - No. 48 Mazen Osama and No. 97 Edson Ortiz. When paired with Patrick Kaukovalta, Osama forms the ninth-best doubles tandem in the nation, holding a 14-7 clip on the premiere court.
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 –
