April 14, 2004

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's tennis team will have a multi-pronged purpose in the opening round of the Conference USA Men's Tennis Championships that begin Thursday of the U of M courts. First, the Tigers will be looking to down Saint Louis and earn a second round match against No. 4 seed USF on Friday. Secondly, the Tigers will be looking to give Head Coach Phil Chamberlain his 100th career victory at the helm of his alma mater.

The Memphis/Saint Louis match will be one of four matches played on the opening day of the tournament. Two matches will open the day at 10 a.m. when No. 8 Charlotte faces No. 10 Southern Miss and No. 5 UAB squares off against No. 11 Marquette. The Tigers and the Billikens will be part of the 1 p.m. schedule, Thursday afternoon on courts 1-3, while No. 9 DePaul and No. 7 East Carolina will square off in the other 1 p.m. contest.

The top four seeds of the tournament will enjoy a first-round bye, and will roll into action on Friday. Top seeded TCU, the No. 17 ranked team in the country, will face the winner of the Charlotte/Southern Miss match at 9 a.m., Friday, while No. 3 seed Louisville, the No. 36 ranked team in the country, will play the winner of the UAB/Marquette match, also at 9 a.m. Friday afternoon will feature No. 4 seed USF playing the Memphis/Saint Louis winner, beginning at noon, while No. 2 seed Tulane, the defending C-USA Champion, will face the winner of the DePaul/East Carolina match.

The consolation side of the bracket will mark the end of two team's regular seasons, Friday. The two consolation matches will begin at 3 p.m., Friday, with the losers of the 3 p.m matches tying for 11th in the league finish. The winners will advance to the ninth-place match at 9 a.m., Saturday.

The University of Memphis/HPER Courts are located on the corners of Echles and Spottswood Avenues across from the Student Recreation Center. Admission for the tournament is free.

The winner of the Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship will receive the league's automatic bid in to the NCAA Championships. The field of 64 will be announced May 5th at 4 p.m. (ET) on ESPNews.