Men's Tennis Slated For GLIAC Tourney Play
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's tennis team will take part in the 2011 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament this Friday to Sunday, April 15-17, in Midland, Mich.
FSU, which is currently ranked 41st nationally in the Campbell's Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II National Rankings, will be the fourth seed for this weekend's event and will face number five seed Michigan Tech in the first round on Friday (April 16) with match time set for 7 p.m. (ET) at the Midland Community Tennis Center.
The second-round matches will take place on Saturday (April 16) beginning at 4 p.m. (ET). Sunday's (April 17) third and final round starts at 9 a.m. (ET).
With a win over Michigan Tech, the Bulldogs would next take on the winner of the quarterfinal match between top-seeded Northwood and eighth-seeded Tiffin in Saturday evening's semifinals.
The other first round pairings on the opposite side of the bracket include third-seeded Grand Valley State facing number six seed Lake Superior State along with number two seed Wayne State meeting seventh-seeded Findlay.
All eight teams involved in the GLIAC Tournament will play three matches each over the course of the two-day event.
The Bulldogs previously beat Michigan Tech by a 9-0 score at home this year (March 19) and have won five of their last six matches to date against GLIAC competition this year.
Ferris State presently owns a 12-7 overall record this season and completed conference regular-season action with a second-place tying 7-2 league mark. The Bulldogs finished in a three-way tie for the second spot, but lost the tiebreaker to Wayne State and Grand Valley State in the tournament seeding process.
FSU last won the GLIAC Tournament in 1999 and finished as the runner-up to Northwood seven consecutive seasons from 2000-06. The Bulldogs placed fifth in 2006-07 and were fourth in 2007-08 before finishing third each of the last two seasons.
In addition to being ranked 41st nationally, the Bulldogs are also currently ranked sixth in the latest ITA Midwest Regional Rankings. Michigan Tech is the region's 10th-ranked squad while Northwood (#2), Wayne State (#5) and Grand Valley State (#9) are also among the five league schools listed in the region's top 10 overall.
The GLIAC Tournament represents the Bulldogs' final competition until a possible berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament with regional round play slated for May 1-3 at campus sites to be determined.
Please visit this link for complete tournament coverage and information:
http://www.gliac.org/sports/mten/2010-11/news/GLIAC_MT_Champ_Info_11