May 4, 2006
The NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Tennis Subcommittees announced the first round sites and match-ups for the 2006 NCAA Tennis Championships Wednesday night on ESPNEWS, with both Butler University and the University of Illinois at Chicago drawing Big Ten opponents.
Butler will travel to sixth-ranked Ohio State University in a rematch of the Buckeye's 7-0 win Feb. 17 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State compiled a 25-1 overall record this season, defeating the University of Illinois for its first conference title since 2001.
The Bulldogs, who defeated UIC in the men's title match to win the 2006 Horizon League Tennis Championship, have earned the League's automatic berth to the men's tournament in each of the last five seasons. In both 2002 and 2003, the Bulldogs were defeated, 4-0, by Illinois. In 2004 and 2005, Butler suffered losses to the University of Kentucky, 4-0.
Butler and Ohio State are joined in their four-team bracket by Michigan (13-11) and Arkansas (17-10). Georgia, at 24-0, is the tournament's top seed.
For the fourth time in six years the UIC women's tennis team will battle Northwestern University in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tennis Championships. UIC (13-10, 10-0) will face off with the No. 11 Wildcats at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center on Friday, May 12th at a time to be determined. Northwestern compiled an overall 21-4 record on its way to an eighth straight Big Ten title this season. The pair is joined in its four-team bracket by Purdue University and Harvard University.
The appearance marks the eighth consecutive for the Flames, who earned their tenth straight Horizon League Championship last month with a win over the women of Butler. UIC, however, has yet to record a win in the tournament, falling to Notre Dame in 1999 and 2000, Northwestern in 2001, 2002 and 2004, Arizona State in 2003 and Southern California in 2005.
This year's NCAA Championships begin on campus sites May 12-17 before heading to the campus of Stanford University. The Taube Tennis Center will then host the women's team tournament from May 18-22, with the men's team tournament running concurrently from May 19-23. Both team championships will be followed by the singles and doubles championships from May 23-28 for the women and from May 24-29 for the men.
Men's Bracket on NCAASports.com
Women's Bracket on NCAASports.com
