May 3, 2006
WACO, Texas - Baylor University will host the men's and women's NCAA first and second rounds May 12-14 as announced by the NCAA Wednesday evening. Both Baylor teams were selected to participate in the national tournament and enter as the No. 5 seeds in their respective brackets. This year will mark the first time that Baylor has hosted both men's and women's NCAA rounds in the same year. The last year that the women hosted the rounds was in 2001 while the men will host for the fourth-straight year and a fifth time in program history.
Baylor's No. 4 men's team enters the tournament as Big 12 regular-season champions and boasting a 21-6 spring record. The Bears' regional draw includes Texas Southern (14-10), Baylor's first round match up, No. 31 Middle Tennessee (16-7) and No. 34 Tulsa (17-10). Against Texas Southern, the Tigers lead the series against the Bears 2-0. In 2005's NCAA tournament, the men's team finished as national runner-up as the Bears lost to UCLA 4-3 in the finals.
"We are thrilled to have a tennis festival here in Waco. It's a first time for our programs to be hosting at the same time so it will be a special weekend for the program. Hopefully we will get a lot of folks out here for a great weekend. As for the draw, it's always tough. Tulsa is playing really well lately and they will bring a lot to the table. And Middle Tennessee State has one of the best doubles teams in the nation. We just have to get through the first round and go from there," said men's head coach Matt Knoll.
Baylor's No. 5 women's team became for the first time the Big 12's post-season and regular-season champions after posting an undefeated conference record and defeating No. 20 Texas in the championship finals. The Bears bring a program-best 25-3 record to their regional draw which includes Texas Southern (16-7), No. 22 Arizona State (13-8), and No. 32 Texas A&M (15-11). Baylor will face Texas Southern in the first round and the meeting will mark the first between the two programs. In the Bear' quest for an NCAA team championship last year, Baylor advanced to round of 16 but fell 4-2 to Florida.
"Anytime you get to play at home, it's an advantage. The players get to sleep in their own beds, and we have our fans right here. Regarding the draw, it's a tough, feisty draw. But there is no easy way to get to the NCAA championship. Texas A&M is a strong team, finishing second in the regular season this year, and they are always competitive. Arizona State is a top 25 team so those are two teams that cannot be overlooked. But we have to start with Texas Southern," said women's head coach Joey Scrivano.
Tournament information, including match times, will be released shortly. All NCAA first and second round information for matches being hosted by Baylor will be available at www.baylorbears.com. Full tournament information is available at http://www.ncaasports.com.
