Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – The 41st-ranked Virginia Tech men’s tennis team will travel to Lexington, Ky. to open the 2013 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships against 22nd-ranked Michigan. Tech and Michigan will play a noon match on Friday, May 10 at UK’s Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Center.
Tech (15-9) and the Wolverines (16-9) will be joined by host-team Kentucky (20-11) and Mid-American Conference champion Western Michigan (19-9).
With this year’s at-large bid, the Hokies will make their seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Tech and Michigan last met during the 2010-11 season when the Wolverines edged the Hokies 4-2 in the ITA Kickoff Weekend.
Virginia Tech is led by 2013 ACC Freshman of the Year, Amerigo Contini who holds a 16-5 overall record in duals, including a 7-2 mark at the No. 1. Contini was also named to the All-ACC team along with fellow freshman Andreas Bjerrehus. Bjerrehus has tallied a 15-7 record in duals with an 8-5 tally in the No. 2. The pair have been ranked all season in singles and are currently 61st and 97th, respectively. In doubles, the two teamed up and currently hold a national ranking of 32nd with a 13-6 record at the No. 1 doubles.
Tech has also had solid performances this season from freshman Joao Monteiro with an 11-5 duals mark and sophomore Hunter Koontz who is 12-10 overall and 7-6 at the No. 3. Senior Lucas Oliveira has posted a 12-10 record this season.
The Wolverines’ Evan King has posted a 22-1 record in the No. 1 singles this season and is ranked 13th in the ITA. Barrett Franks has added a 17-6 mark while Alex Buzzie is 12-3.
Michigan posted a 9-2 record in B1G play this season with wins over every league team except Minnesota and Ohio State. The Wolverines fell to OSU in the B1G title match last weekend, 4-2.
Kentucky holds the top seed in the regional event and holds an eighth-seed overall in the tournament. The Wildcats fell to Georgia, 4-3 in the SEC tournament. UK will face WMU in the first round on May 10.
The winners of the opening round match will advance to play on Saturday, May 11 at 2 p.m.
2013 NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament - Lexington, Ky., Regional
Teams:
- (1) Kentucky
- (2) Michigan
- (3) Virginia Tech
- (4) Western Michigan
Schedule:
Friday, May 10th, 2013
Match 1 (Round of 64) - Michigan vs. Virginia Tech (Noon ET)
Match 2 (Round of 64) - Western Michigan vs. Kentucky (not before 3:00 p.m. ET)
Saturday, May 11th, 2013
Match 3 (Round of 32) - Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner (2:00 p.m. ET)
Tickets:
Tickets for the first and second rounds will go on sale Monday, May 6th. Fans can purchase championship passes and single-day tickets by calling 1-800-928-CATS or in person at the UK Ticket Office at the Joe Craft Center in Lexington, Ky. The Joe Craft Center is open 9 a.m. ET - 4 p.m. ET on Monday-Friday.
Ticket prices include:
Adult tournament pass - $10
Child/Senior tournament pass - $6
Adult single-day pass - $6
Child/Senior single-day pass - $4
Parking Information:
Spectators may park free of charge each day in the Residential R-3 lots located on the north and south sides of the Nutter Training Center. Discounted parking vouchers at $3.00 may be purchased each day for those who park in Parking Structure #7 next to the tennis complex. Vouchers will be available at the admissions tent outside the Boone Tennis Center.
Additional information will be released later in the week.