#23 Clemson to Start NCAA Tournament Play Friday

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson men’s tennis team will start play in the NCAA Tournament Friday morning when the #23-ranked Tigers face #42 Boise State at 11:00 a.m. at Barksdale Stadium in Knoxville, TN.”We are really excited and very anxious to play,” said Clemson Head Coach Chuck McCuen. “The team is really excited and I can’t be more excited for a great group of guys.”The winner of this match will play the winner of the Tennessee/South Carolina State match on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Knoxville, TN. The Volunteers are the tournament’s seventh overall seed.Clemson has an 18-7 record overall this season. Currently, the Tigers are ranked 23rd nationally. Clemson advanced to the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in its last action.  Boise State will enter the NCAA Tournament with a 20-9 record this season.  The Volunteers have a 22-7 record overall, while South Carolina State has a 14-4 mark on the year.”The key to the success that we had this year is our attitude and willingness to stay after it,” said McCuen. “They are always willing to grow and learn, and they approach every practice and every match with this mindset.  I know Boise State is a well-coached and experienced team that played a good schedule.  We look forward to the challenge, and we are so happy to be back in the tournament.”The Tigers’ Yannick Maden is ranked 26th nationally in singles. He is now 25-7 overall and 19-4 in dual matches at number-one singles.The doubles team of Yannick and Dominique Maden is ranked 11th in the nation according to the latest poll.  The Madens are now 22-6 on the year, and have a 12-3 mark in dual matches.This will be ninth meeting between Clemson and Boise State in men’s tennis.  Clemson leads the overall series 6-2.  The two teams last played on February 8, 2003, with Clemson taking a 5-2 victory.  Clemson has never played South Carolina State in men’s tennis.  The Tigers have played Tennessee 22 times previously and the Volunteers lead the overall series 15-7.  Clemson and Tennessee last met on February 24, 2012 with the Volunteers winning a close 4-3 match.This is the first NCAA appearance for Clemson since the 2007 season.  It will mark the 25th time that the Tigers have played in the NCAA Tournament.  Over the years, Clemson has advanced to the NCAA Final Eight on seven occasions and the NCAA Final 16 a total of 12 times.