May 1, 2012

2012_NCAA_Tennis_Championships

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - In a gathering at The Racquet Club of Memphis on Tuesday afternoon, Memphis earned the program's first bid to the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship as announced during the NCAA's selection show. The 33rd-ranked Tigers (19-5) will face the 28th-ranked Baylor Bears (17-11) in Starkville, Miss., on the campus of Mississippi State.

The other two teams in Memphis' four-team regional-site are Mississippi State (19-6) and Alcorn State (10-8). Dates and times for the regional matches have not been finalized, but will be held on either May 11-12 or May 12-13

Memphis finished second in Conference USA during the regular season and earned a runner-up finish in its first appearance in the finals of the C-USA Championships. The U of M entered the rankings during the second poll and spent the rest of the season in the rankings. On March 20, the Blue and Gray earned a program-high No. 30.

Senior David Henry and Freshman Connor Glennon are currently ranked No. 88 in doubles. Glennon was ranked in singles play three times this season, earning a personal-best No. 91 on March 13. Fellow freshman David O'Leary, who won 21-consecutive matches to start his career, also spent three weeks in the ITA poll, reaching as high as No. 108.

Information regarding the Tigers' NCAA Championship appearance will be posted on GoTigersGo.com as it becomes available.

Memphis Notes
• As a team, Memphis has never made the NCAA Championships. Four Tigers have made appearances in the singles tournament, but none since 1976. No doubles team has made the doubles championship.
• Phil Chamberlain, former tennis player and coach at the U of M, played in four-straight NCAA singles tournaments from 1973-76.
• Keith West (1974-76), Davis Moser (1973) and Jim Kallenberger (1974) are the other Tigers to make the NCAA tourney.
• Memphis played 12 matches against ranked opponents this season, recording a 7-5 record. All 12 matches were at road or neutral sites.
• The Tigers' .792 winning percentage is the program's highest since 1979, when the team posted a 22-2 record and .917 winning percentage.