|
Ohio State, Illinois Set for NCAA Championship Round of 16
May 16, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format Illinois and Ohio State will represent the Big Ten Conference in the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship Round of 16 this weekend, May 17-19, at the University of Georgia's Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. The championship's No. 2 seed, Ohio State will face 15th-ranked LSU for the second time this season on Thursday (May 17) at noon. En route to winning their second consecutive Big Ten Championship and regular season titles, the Buckeyes defeated the Tigers, 4-2, in Baton Rouge earlier this season. The winner will earn a quarterfinal match against the victor of the Illinois-Mississippi contest at noon on Saturday. The No. 10 Illini advanced to the Round of 16 for the eighth time in the last nine years with a 4-2 secondround victory over conference rival Michigan. Illinois will take on No. 7 Mississippi on Thursday at 9 a.m. The Blue and Orange downed the Rebels in the 2003 quarterfinals, 4-1, before going on to win the national championship. The 21st-ranked Wolverines saw their season end at 20-7 in Champaign, Ill. No. 38 Wisconsin earned its first-ever second-round appearance with an upset No. 32 Washington. But the Badgers could not stop host and fifth-seeded Notre Dame, who ended Wisconsin's season with a 4-0 win Saturday. No. 42 Penn State closed out the year with a 4-2 setback against 20th-ranked and defending NCAA Champion Pepperdine, while Minnesota fell to No. 28 South Alabama (4-1). In addition to Illinois and Ohio State earning trips to Athens, eight Big Ten student-athletes were selected as singles and doubles participants, while two were tabbed as alternates. The conference earned one automatic singles qualifier in Illinois' Player of the Year Kevin Anderson, who is seeded fifth. Sixth-seeded Steven Moneke of Ohio State is joined by teammates Bryan Koniecko and Devin Mullins, while Illinois' Ryan Rowe and Michigan's Brian Hung and Matko Maravic also earned at-large bids. MSU's Nick Rinks was selected as the third alternate for singles competition. In doubles, Illinois' defending NCAA Champion duo of Anderson and Rowe lead the way. They are joined by the Wolverines' Hung and Maravic and the Buckeyes' top tandem of Mullings and Chris Klingemann. The Spartans' Rinks and Adam Monich make up the fifth alternate pair. The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 23-30 at Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, following the conclusion of the team championship (May 17-22).
|
|
