The
University of Florida men's and women's tennis teams both were chosen as one of
16 hosts of their respective NCAA First and Second Round Championship matches,
the NCAA Committee announced on Tuesday afternoon from Indianapolis.
The
event will run from May 10 to 12 at UF's Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
The
Gator men will host two first round matches on Friday, May 10 and a second round
contest on Saturday, May 11, while the women will play their first round
matches on Saturday and the second round on the Sunday, May 12. The winning
team from each of the regionals advances to Urbana, Ill., for the NCAA Round of
16 and beyond.
This
season the University of Illinois plays host to the combined men's and women's
tournament from the round of 16 through the final. The men's Round of 16 begins
on Thursday, May 16, while women's action gets underway on Friday, May 17.
The
Gator women, who are the two-time defending NCAA champions, received the No. 1
seed in the 64-team draw. Florida (22-2) faces Metro Atlantic Athletic
Conference (MAAC) champion Marist College (11-7) for the first time in program
history in its NCAA First Round contest on Saturday, May 12 at 1 p.m. ET. The
other NCAA Women’s First Round match played in Gainesville features No.
22-ranked Georgia Tech (14-9), which earned an at-large berth after finishing
fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), versus No. 37-ranked and Ivy
League automatic qualifier Yale (17-3) on Saturday at 10 a.m.
The
winning teams from those first-round matches meet in the second round on Sunday,
May 11 at 1 p.m.
UF
has hosted first and second round matches every year since the NCAA Women's
Championships expanded its field to 64 teams in 1999.
The
Florida women's team is making its 31st appearance in the 32-year history of
the NCAA Championships, missing only the 1986 event. The Gators won NCAA team
titles in 1992, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2011 ad 2012 and have advanced to at least
the NCAA Semifinals 21 times in the last 25 years.
“We
play really well at home and we’re excited to host the opening rounds of the
NCAA Championship again,” said UF women’s head coach Roland Thornqvist,
who has guided the Gators to the 2003, 2011 and 2012 national championships.
“It will be final time for our two seniors Lauren (Embree) and Caroline
(Hitimana) to play here in front of our crowd and I hope our fans will come out
to support them and the rest of the team.
“Our
players are use to having that bulls-eye on their back,” said Thornqvist of
being the No. 1 seed. “That’s one of the neat things of this year is that
almost all of our players have played up a position or two in the lineup from
year’s past so not only have they had to adjust to playing with the bulls-eye
that we feel like we have every time we play, but doing so playing up in the
lineup and our players have handled that well.”
The
Florida women’s team is one of nine SEC schools in the 2013 field, with Texas
A&M, Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss also being chosen to play host to a
regional as the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 9 seeds, respectively. Of the other 15
seeds, the Gators faced six of them during the regular season. Florida played
17 of its 24 matches this season against teams that made the NCAA Tournament
field of 64 and posted a 15-2 record versus those clubs.
The
Gator men, ranked No. 15 with a 15-10 overall record, will host the first two
rounds on May 10-11, holding the top seed in the Gainesville regional. Florida
will play Denver (11-11) in the opening round with the winner of the match to
face the winner of 18th-ranked Cal (14-9) and Florida State (18-10).
“We
are really looking forward to the NCAA Tournament,” said men’s head coach Bryan
Shelton. “This is the time to show just how far we have come this year. It's
great to have a week and a half still to prepare for the tournament. Having the
opportunity to host the first two rounds is a big deal to our team and our
fans. We have had tremendous support throughout this season from our boosters
and our community, and we are counting on them to help us advance.”
Florida
faces Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after the Pioneers
claimed the WAC Championship to claim the conference’s automatic bid. Cal
earned an at-large bid after finishing tied for second in the Pac-12. Florida
State also earned an at-large bid after finished tied for seventh in the ACC.
The
Gators are one of eight SEC teams to host a regional on the men’s side, joined
by third-seed Georgia, sixth-seed Ole Miss, seventh-seed Tennessee, eight-seed
Kentucky, 10-seed Mississippi State, 12-seed Texas A&M and 16-seed
Vanderbilt. Alabama, Auburn, LSU and South Carolina also made the field of 64.
