Ferris State Tennis Continues Quest For National Championship In Sweet Sixteen Tuesday
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Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's tennis team will continue its quest for a national championship as the Bulldogs square off against Chowan (N.C.) in the NCAA Division II Round of 16 on Tuesday (May 9) at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
The Bulldogs will face the Hawks in a 4 p.m. (ET) match with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight. FSU will be making its second consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance after reaching the national semifinals a year ago.
The Bulldogs punched their ticket to Florida by capturing one of two Midwest Regional bracket titles with a decisive 5-1 victory over West Michigan rival Grand Valley State last Sunday (April 30) at the FSU Racquet and Fitness Center in Big Rapids. The regional crown was the Bulldogs' second-straight.
Chowan, the Atlantic Region II Champion, enters the contest ranked 41st in the nation while the Bulldogs were listed 16th in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II National Rankings. The Hawks are presently 16-7 overall this year with FSU owning a 19-2 overall mark to date this campaign.
The winner of Tuesday's contest will advance to face either St. Mary's (Texas) or Southwest Baptist (Mo.) in the Elite Eight on Wednesday (May 10) at 4 p.m. (ET). The semifinals are on Thursday with the national championship match set for Friday in Altamonte Springs.
Ferris State, which is making its 21st all-time NCAA Tournament bid, will take part in the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in school history. Last year's Sweet Sixteen showing was the Bulldogs' first since 2005. Prior to last year, FSU had not advanced to the Elite Eight since 2004. The Bulldogs' national semifinal finish last year was the program's best in school history, topping the fifth-place national showing in 1988.
Along with capturing the regional title, the Bulldogs also won the GLIAC Regular-Season Championship for the third-straight campaign this year and won the league's postseason tournament for the second year in a row. FSU has won its last 13 outings in a row to date this year.
The 2016 and 2017 campaigns represent the only times in which FSU has won both the GLIAC Regular-Season & Tournament Championships in the same year since the tournament moved to its current dual team format.