Penguins to Face No. 1 USC in NCAA Regional
The Youngstown State women's tennis team will play at No. 1 overall seed USC in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, May 9, in Los Angeles.
The Penguins, who are in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season, are also grouped with Virginia Tech and Long Beach State. YSU won the Horizon League regular season title, and it swept through the conference tournament to earn the league's automatic berth.
Joining YSU and the Trojans in the USC Regional are Virginia Tech and Long Beach State. USC plays host to its matches at Marks Stadium.
USC enters the postseason with a 21-2 overall record while the Penguins are 17-8. The Hokies enter the NCAA Regional with a 16-9 record while Long Beach State is 18-5.
This will be the Penguins' second trip to Southern California this year ironically. YSU played matches against UC Riverside, Cal-State Northridge and against Gonzaga at Orange Coast College in March.
YSU enters the NCAAs on a school-record winning streak have 11 straight victories. The 17 wins this year are a school record as well. USC has won its last 11 matches as well with its losses coming to UCLA and Virginia this season. The Trojans have six players ranked in the top 85 nationally, including 14th-ranked Giuliana Olmos.
The winners of the 16 regionals advance the NCAA Championship round hosted by Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Men's Tennis to Face No. 4 Illinois in 1st Round
The Green Bay men’s tennis team will see a familiar foe in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Phoenix (18-7) drew No. 4 Illinois (25-4) in the opening round of the 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship. The match will take place Friday, May 8 and is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
Green Bay traveled to Champaign, Ill. on Jan. 23 to face the Fighting Illini. The home team got the better of the Phoenix and won the match 4-0, but Green Bay says it’s excited to head south and face Illinois again.
“We’re excited to be back in the NCAA Tournament, it’s always great to see Green Bay’s name on the selection show,” said head coach Mark Thomas. “Illinois had an awesome year, they’re a well-coached team, so we have our work cut out for us.”
“Illinois is a tough team,” said senior captain Michael Tenzer. “We know their players and we know what to expect.”
Green Bay is riding an eight-match winning streak, including wins in the semifinals and finals of the Horizon League Championship this past weekend. The Phoenix defeated Valparaiso 4-0 to earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois also won its conference tournament, defeating Ohio State 4-0 in the Big Ten Championship match, and boasts five players ranked in the top 125 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Green Bay has two common Big Ten opponents with Illinois. The Phoenix fell to then No. 46 Minnesota 6-1 on Jan. 30, and defeated Wisconsin 4-1 on March 7. The Golden Gophers climbed to No. 33 in the nation before they defeated Illinois 4-3 on April 17. The Illini also beat Wisconsin, besting the Badgers 4-0 to close out its regular season on April 19.
“We know the level, and I think that helps us, to know the level of their players,” said Thomas. “Illinois is going to contend for a national championship so we have to practice hard this week. We are going to give it our best shot.”
