Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech men’s tennis team will return to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year on Fri., May 14, when the No. 23 Hokies travel to Louisville, Ky., to play No. 38 Vanderbilt (13-10) in the opening round of the tournament. The first and second round matches will be played at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center and are hosted by the University of Louisville. The winner of Tech-Vanderbilt will play the winner of the Eastern Kentucky-Louisville match in the second round.
“We are excited about getting a chance to compete in the NCAA tournament again this year. We have had a good year so far and I feel our program has momentum and is headed in the right direction,” said Virginia Tech head coach Jim Thompson. “This opportunity is something we have worked for all year and I look forward to seeing our guys respond to the challenge ahead. I know Coach Duvenhage of Vanderbilt has done a great job with his team this season and it should be a great match in Louisville.”
Tech (15-7), defeated Boston College, 4-0, in the first round of the 2010 ACC Championships in Cary, N.C. before being eliminated by No. 24 Georgia Tech, 4-3. The Hokies faced one of the toughest schedules in the program’s history, including 16 ranked teams and defeated five top 25 teams. This season’s bid is the 10th in the program’s history as Tech made five consecutive NCAA appearances by winning the Atlantic 10 Championship every year while in the league.
In the past three NCAA Tournaments, Tech defeated No. 59 UNC Wilmington, 4-2, in the first round in Athens, Ga., before being eliminated, 4-1, by the fourth-ranked Bulldogs. The 2008 Tournament saw Tech defeat No. 31 Kentucky, 4-0, in the first round in Knoxville, Tenn., before being eliminated by No. 8 Tennessee. In 2007, Tech traveled to Charlottesville, Va., to face No. 30 Old Dominion, with the Hokies suffering a narrow 4-3 loss.
Tech is led by two time All-ACC selection Yoann Re (Sr., Verdun, Quebec Canada), ranked No. 55 in the most recent ITA national list, who has defeated three top 25 players this season en route to winning 14 singles matches. Re also was a participant last year in the NCAA Singles Championships.
The Hokies also feature Luka Somen (So., Karlovac, Croatia), an All-ACC selection and the 2009 ACC Freshman of the Year, who had 25 singles and 25 doubles victories. Somen, ranked No. 73, paired with Corrado Degl’ Incerti Tocci (So., Reggio Emilia, Italy) to post a 25-11 doubles record, including 11-0 during ACC regular season matches.