MEN'S BRACKET
WOMEN'S BRACKET
INDIANAPOLIS – Memphis, USF, SMU, Tulane and Tulsa men’s teams, along with the Tulsa women’s team were selected to the 2016 NCAA Tennis Championships, as announced on Tuesday evening.
The first and second round matchups will take place May 13-15 at assigned host sites, with the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and national championships held at Tulsa University’s Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma May 19-30.
USF (20-8) opens the 2016 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship against St. John’s (21-5) in Gainesville, Florida. The Bulls won the American Athletic Conference Championship and earned the automatic qualifier for the third consecutive season with a 4-0 win over Tulsa at the Dunavant-Wellford Tennis Center on the campus of the Memphis University School on April 24. USF finished the regular season with a 17-8 overall record behind the strong play from Roberto Cid, the No. 2 ranked singles player. Cid led the squad with a 5-1 record against players ranked in the ITA Top 10, including two victories against then-No. 1 Dominik Koepfer of Tulane. The Bulls also feature a pair of ranked doubles teams – No. 31 Justin Roberts/Dominic Cotrone and No. 32 Sasha Gozun/Vadym Kalyuzhnyy. USF appears in the NCAA tournament for the third time in as many years.
Tulsa (17-13) will travel to Norman, Oklahoma, to take on Oregon (18-7) in the first round. The Golden Hurricane reached American Athletic Conference finals for the second straight season after concluding the spring season with an overall record of 15-12. The Golden Hurricane produced a .500 mark (10-10) against nationally ranked opponents, including a 4-1 win against then-No. 8 Oklahoma State on April 1. Junior Or Ram-Harel leads Tulsa in singles as the No. 46 ranked player nationally, while the duo of Matthew Kirby and Dylan McCloskey are ranked No. 82 in doubles. The Golden Hurricane is making its 11th consecutive and 18th overall NCAA tournament appearance under head coach Vince Westbrook.
SMU (20-8) begins the 2016 NCAA tournament against Washington (17-9) in Lubbock, Texas. The Mustangs finished the regular season with an overall mark of 19-7, including ranked wins against then-No. 5 Oklahoma State, then-No. 17 USF and then-No. 20 Tulsa. No. 72 Hunter Johnson and No. 101 Nate Lammons pace SMU in singles, while Yates Johnson/H. Johnson (No. 27) and Lammon/Arkadijs Slobodkins (No. 49) lead doubles. The Mustangs make their first NCAA appearance since 2008.
Tulane (15-8) opens tournament play against Dartmouth (18-8) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Green Wave produced a 14-7 spring season record behind strong singles play from Dominik Koepfer. The senior held the No. 1 singles ranking from Jan. 5-April 19 and went 10-2 against ranked opponents. In doubles, Koepfer teamed with Chi-Shan Jao and is duo is No. 19 in the nation, the highest ranked tandem in The American. Tulane makes its 10th NCAA appearance and first since 2005.
Memphis (14-10) qualifies for its fourth NCAA tournament and will take on Mississippi State (16-8) in Urbana, Illinois. The Tigers put together a 14-9 regular season, including a 4-1 win against then-No. 19 Ole Miss. Ryan Peniston (No. 92) and Andrew Watson (No. 98) highlight Memphis’ singles lineup, while Chris Patzanovsky and Watson (No. 77) lead the team in doubles.
In the women’s bracket, Tulsa (21-4) makes its 10th NCAA appearance as the Golden Hurricane open up the 2016 NCAA tournament against Arkansas (16-13) in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Tulsa earned the automatic qualifier after capturing its second consecutive American Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Championship with a 4-0 win against No. 2 seed USF on Saturday, April 23. Senior Saana Saarteinen is ranked No. 90 in singles and led the Golden Hurricane to an 18-4 overall record in the regular season.