University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Tennis To Host NCAA First And Second Rounds
May 01, 2007 | Men's Tennis
“Our guys are very excited about the draw,” said men’s head coach Manuel Diaz. “We expected a tough draw, as it is every year. Right now we have to focus on the first and second rounds. I couldn’t be more proud of what we have done so far. We have come to play in every match and we have some convincing scores but that does not mean it was easy. It is because we have been able to take care of business at every spot, we have put in plenty of good, old-fashioned hard work.”
“Any time you can play at home in front of your fans and on the courts you are playing on every day you have to like your chances,” added women’s head coach Jeff Wallace. “At the same time, we realize there are going to be some great teams coming in here for the first and second rounds and beyond. I think our side of the draw is wide open. There are a lot of great teams that can come to Athens and do some great things. I think it will come down to who brings it that week.”
The Georgia men will be competing in the NCAA Tournament for the 24th consecutive time and 29th overall. The Bulldogs own four NCAA Championships: 1985, ’87, ’99 and 2001. All four were held in Athens.
The three other men’s teams competing in Athens along with the Bulldogs are Fairleigh Dickinson, Georgia State and Auburn. The Bulldogs will face FDU in the first round and if they should advance, will face the winner of Auburn and Georgia State in the second round. Georgia faced both Georgia State and Auburn in Athens during the regular season, winning by scores of 7-0 and 6-1, respectively.
“We had a tough match against Auburn earlier this year,” said Diaz. “We expect very tough competition from the start. We understand that since we are the undefeated we are the team to beat, everyone is coming after us.”
“I think we have very tough draw,” said senior John Isner. “If we get past the first round, Auburn is a tough team and then it only gets tougher after that. I don’t want to look too far ahead, but UCLA and Oklahoma State are two very good teams on our side of the draw as well. But we have six guys on our team who have won at least 20 dual matches, each one of our guys are very solid and will win their singles match most of the time. I think this is going to be an awesome experience, I have waited 4 years for this. The atmosphere will be electric and the intensity will be terrific. I am a little nervous but more excited I would say.”
With the 2007 bid, the Georgia women’s team will be making its 20th consecutive appearance and 21st overall, all of which have come with Wallace at the helm. The Bulldogs own two NCAA Championships: 1994 (held in Athens) and 2000 (Malibu, Calif.). They hold an overall record of 48-18 in NCAA Tournament matches.
The three women’s teams joining the Bulldogs in Athens are South Carolina State, Auburn and North Carolina State. Georgia will take on South Carolina State in the first round and if they should win, will take on the winner of Auburn and N.C. State in second-round action. The Bulldogs have faced Auburn twice in 2007, dropping the first decision at Auburn but picking up a win over the Tigers in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
“We are not really familiar with South Carolina State,” said Wallace. “We will have to read up on them. If we are fortunate enough to get through that match, there’s a chance we could face Auburn and we have already played them twice this year. In fact, they are our only loss. It was nice to get that win back at the SEC Tournament.”
“I am very excited for the tournament, we are ready to go in and give it our all,” said senior Natalie Frazier. “I know on any given day we are all going to go out there and give it 100 percent. They could put Stanford against us in the first round and we would still bring it. I am really excited to play at home in front of our crowd, and I know every single match will be a great one.”
The Georgia men are enjoying their second straight flawless regular season, currently holding a record of 26-0. During this campaign the Bulldogs captured three championships for the second straight year: the ITA Team Indoor National Championship, the Southeastern Conference regular-season title and the SEC Tournament crown.
The Georgia women have posted a near-perfect mark of 21-1 this season, capturing the SEC regular-season title as well as the SEC Tournament crown. They will carry a nine-match winning streak into first and second round action.
Last year, the Georgia men advanced to the national championship match before falling to Pepperdine, 4-2. The Bulldogs have reached the national championship match 11 times and are five-time semifinalists.
In 2006, the Georgia women’s squad advanced to the Round of 32. The Bulldogs have advanced to the quarterfinals or beyond in eight of the last nine years. They have reached the national championship match three times, winning it twice, and have made six semifinal appearances.
The men’s and women’s individual singles and doubles tournament fields will be announced Wednesday, May 2, at 5 p.m.
The UGA men have captured four NCAA singles championships: Mikael Pernfors in 1984 and ’85 and Matias Boeker in 2001 and 2002. In doubles, Georgia owns three NCAA tournament crowns: 1983, Allen Miller and Ola Malmqvist; 2001, Boeker and Travis Parrott; and 2005, John Isner and Antonio Ruiz.
On the women’s side, Georgia owns two singles championships: Lisa Spain in 1984 and Angela Lettiere in 1994. There have been four UGA women’s doubles finalists but no champions.
Tickets for the first and second round matches will be on sale each day of the tournament at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex and are good for access to all matches that day. Adult tickets are $5 each and student tickets are $3. Student ticket prices apply to high-school aged students and under, and college students with a valid I.D.
All-session tickets for the NCAA Championships to be held in Athens May 17-28 are now on sale and can be purchased by visiting www.georgiadogs.com at the NCAA Tournament Central site or by calling 1-877-542-1231. All-session ticket prices are as follows: Adult General Admission - $100; Student General Admission - $55. Group tickets can also be purchased for the NCAA Championships for groups of at least 10 people at a rate of $5 per person. Group tickets are available for all days of the tournament.
The University of Georgia will play host to the 2007 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, May 17-28. For ticket and tournament information, please visit the NCAA Tournament Information Center on georgiadogs.com. |