Five Squads Earn Men's Tennis NCAA Championship Berths - BIG TEN CONFERENCE Official Athletic Site

Five Squads Earn Men's Tennis NCAA Championship Berths

No. 6 seed Ohio State to host first- and second-round competition

	Ross Wilson and Scott Green, the nation's No. 1 doubles team, look to lead Ohio State in its seventh-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

May 4, 2006

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Five Big Ten teams have been selected by the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Subcommittee as part of the field of 64 for the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships. First- and second-round competition Friday through Sunday, May 12-14.

Ohio State (25-1) earns its seventh-straight trip the postseason event after capturing the 2006 Big Ten Championship title. The Buckeyes, who also claimed their first-ever conference regular season title, host Butler (14-9) on May 13 on its home courts in Columbus, Ohio. It will mark the second meeting between the teams this season, after Ohio State claimed the first contest 7-0 on Feb. 17.

No. 39 Michigan also earned a first-round trip to the Ohio State Campus, setting up a potential second-round meeting between the two conference squads. The Wolverines take on No. 25 Arkansas on Saturday, May 13. It marks Michigan's first NCAA bid since the 2002 season and first appearance under second-year head coach Bruce Berque.

For the 11th-straight year, Illinois (23-6) will enter the NCAA Tournament when it takes on Western Illinois in the Louisville Regional on May 12. With a win, the sixth-seeded Illini would face the winner of No. Louisville and Southern Methodiston Saturday, May 13.

Minnesota travels to Miami, Fla., for a first-round clash with No. 22 LSU (15-9) on May 13. The 41st-ranked Golden Gophers (13-12) will make their 12th appearance in the last 13 years in the NCAA Championships. A win could pit Minnesota against the victor of host Miami and Manhattan on Sunday, May 14.

No. 45 Penn State team received its third all-time NCAA Tournament bid and first since 1998. The Nittany Lions (17-6) are set to face No. 21 Washington (18-5) in a first-round match-up to be held in Richmond, Va. on May 13. The winner of that match will advance to meet the winner of the first-round match between No. 12 Virginia Commonwealth (25-4) and Richmond (16-13) on May 14, also at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The winner of each site will advance to the NCAA Championships at the Taube Tennis Center in Stanford, California, hosted by the Stanford University. The team championship will be held May 20-23.