Ferris State Men's Tennis Garners NCAA Bid & Will Host Midwest Regional Bracket This Week
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Big Rapids, Mich. - For the second consecutive year, the Ferris State University men's tennis team will play host to NCAA Division II Tournament action as the Bulldog squad received an official bid via a live selection announcement on Tuesday (April 25) evening.
The NCAA Division II National Men's & Women's selection committees released the respective fields for the national tournaments via NCAA.com with the Bulldogs holding a live selection show watch gathering at Buffalo Wild Wings in Big Rapids.
The Bulldog men's team will make its 21st all-time NCAA Tourney appearance and is guided by interim head coach Danny Hunt.
The FSU men's squad drew the number one seed in the Midwest Region and earned a first-round bye. FSU will face either fourth-seeded Grand Valley State or fifth-seeded Rockhurst (Mo.) in one of two Midwest Regional finals in Big Rapids this Sunday (April 30) starting at 11 a.m. (ET) at the FSU Racquet and Fitness Center in Big Rapids.
GVSU and Rockhurst will open the Midwest Regional bracket on Saturday (April 29) at the Racquet and Fitness Center starting also at 11 a.m. (ET) with the winner advancing to face the Bulldogs.
The winner of the three-team event on the men's side will move on to the NCAA-II round of 16 set for May 9-12 in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Along with Ferris State, Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Champion Indianapolis was also chosen to host the other Midwest Regional bracket.
The 2017 campaign represents the second consecutive year in which FSU has won both the GLIAC Regular-Season & Tournament Championships in the same year. The Bulldogs did so for the first time since the tournament moved to its current dual team format last year before repeating the feat again this season. FSU last won both in the same campaign in 1994 prior to the current stretch, but the tourney was structured then in an individual-based scoring format.
This year also marks the second-straight time in which Ferris State claimed the GLIAC Tournament Championship. It is also only the third league postseason crown in the last 17 years as the 2012 crown was FSU's first since 1999 prior to the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
This season, Ferris State also won the GLIAC's outright regular-season title for the third-striaght year. Prior to the last three years, Northwood had won the previous 20 regular-season crowns in a row dating back to 1995, including a share of the title with FSU in 1999. Either Northwood or Ferris State have won the GLIAC Championship in the regular season every year since 1982.
The two schools shared the crown in 1982 before FSU had a 12-year run as the outright champion prior to the NU stretch.
The Bulldogs, who are ranked 15th nationally in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Regional Rankings, own a 18-2 overall record and were a perfect 9-0 in regular-season action for the third-straight year. FSU has won its last 12 matches in a row to date this year.
Last season, Ferris State made its deepest NCAA Tournament run ever by reaching the Division II Final Four in Denver, Colo.
MIDWEST REGIONAL #1 DRAW
at FSU Racquet and Fitness Center
Saturday, April 29
#4 Grand Valley State vs #5 Rockhurst (Mo.), 11 a.m.
Sunday, April 30
#1 Ferris State vs GVSU/Rockhurst winner, 11 a.m.