No. 39 Men's Tennis Returns to NCAA Tournament
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s tennis team received a bid to the 2018 NCAA Team Championship, as announced on the NCAA selection show Tuesday evening.
The Hurricanes (14-12, 4-8 ACC), who will compete at the national stage for the 23rd time in program history, will remain in-state and travel to Gainesville, Fla., to face in-state foe, North Florida, in the opening round Saturday, May 12. Miami is ranked No. 39, while the Ospreys are unranked.
“It’s really awesome for the guys. I’m excited for the guys, I’m excited that we have this opportunity,” Miami head coach Aljosa Piric said. “I’m happy for the seniors. They’ve been working really hard to get us here and to put us in a situation to play in this part of the postseason. Everybody contributed and this is what it’s all about – the NCAA tournament.”
Miami will appear on the national stage for the first time since 2011, when it edged Nebraska, 4-3, in the opening round in Gainesville before falling to the Gators, 4-0, in the second.
Florida, ranked No. 10 and seeded No. 13, will take on South Carolina State in the other first-round contest. The winners of the two matches will square off Sunday to determine who will advance to the Round of 16 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
“We like this weather, we like the conditions of Florida, but North Florida is probably the same way,” Piric said of playing in the Sunshine State. Everybody who makes the tournament is a good team. We know that and we have to show up the same we have all of this year.”
The Hurricanes have met the Ospreys six times in history, winning four of the previous meetings. Last time the teams met, UNF was victorious in Coral Gables, 4-2, on Jan. 22, 2017.
The Hurricanes’ No. 39 ranking is their highest since March 23, 2014. Freshman Adria Soriano currently sits at No. 67 in the Oracle/ITA rankings, while teaming up with senior Christian Langmo to form the 22nd-ranked doubles pair in the nation.
Additional information on the Hurricanes’ matches in Gainesville, including start times, will be available in the coming days.
To keep up with the University of Miami women’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
