Clemson to Start Play in NCAA Tennis Tournament Friday

May 10, 2007

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson men’s tennis team will start play in the NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament on Friday in Winston-Salem, NC.

The Tigers will play Elon in the first round at Winston-Salem, NC on Friday, May 11th at 2:00 p.m. In the other match at Winston-Salem, NC, Wake Forest will play Charlotte on Friday, May 11th at 11:00 a.m. The two winners will meet in Winston-Salem, NC on Saturday, May 12th at 2:00 p.m with a berth to the Sweet 16 in Athens, Ga., on the line.

The Tigers (30-9) have two previous meetings with Wake Forest this season. _In the regular season, Clemson won at home 4-2. In the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, the Deacons captured a 4-1 victory.

Clemson will be making its 24th appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the tournament went to a dual match format in 1977. Clemson is one of the top teams nationally as far as appearances in the NCAA team tournament.

The Tigers went to 11 straight NCAA team tournaments between the years of 1979 and 1989, the second longest streak of NCAA Tournament appearances in Clemson team sports history. In the 24 total appearances, Clemson has a 15-21 overall record and has reached the Final Sixteen 12 times and the Final Eight seven times including 2004.

Elon (23-2) received an automatic bid by winning the Southern Conference. Like the 49ers, the Phoenix also were undefeated in their league, posting a 12-0 mark.

Wake Forest (21-6) received an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships for a seventh straight season and the eighth time in 10 years under head coach Jeff Zinn. The Demon Deacons are seeded 13th in the 64-team tournament.

Charlotte (17-8) earned an automatic bid by steamrolling through the Atlantic 10 with a perfect record.

The tournament has a 64-team field and 16 schools will host the first and second rounds at campus sites. The remaining 16 teams will advance to the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga., hosted by Georgia, beginning May 17.

First Round – Friday, May 11 11:00 a.m. – Wake Forest (21-6) vs. Charlotte (17-8) 2:00 p.m. – Clemson (30-9) vs. Elon (23-2)

Second Round – Saturday, May 12 2:00 p.m. – Wake Forest/Charlotte winner vs. Clemson/Elon winner