Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – The 15th-ranked Virginia Tech men’s tennis team looks to continue its historic season this weekend, hosting a regional site for the first time in 15 years. Tech welcomes No. 18 USF, No. 63 Boise State and ETSU to Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center for the opening rounds of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship, May 8-9.
“We are so excited to be hosting a regional site this season,” said Virginia Tech head coach Jim Thompson. “It has been one of our goals all year and is just one more thing to check off the list. There are three very good teams coming in this weekend and it won’t be easy, but the next step for us is to win this weekend and advance to Waco for the Round of 16.”
Boise State (15-15) and USF (19-6) will kick things off with an 11 a.m. match on Friday before the Hokies (19-4) take on ETSU (17-7) at 2 p.m. The winners of the two matches will square off on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Ticket prices are $5 for adults and $3 for students with ID. The first 50 Virginia Tech students will get in free with their Hokie Passport. All ticket sales will be done the day of the event at the gate.
The Hokies have had a strong 2015 season and are looking to continue their run behind four ranked players in singles. Andreas Bjerrehus, ranked 43rd, has tallied a 16-6 record in duals, including a 12-2 mark in the No. 2 en route to earning All-ACC honors for the third straight season. Also earning ACC honors for the third consecutive season is 68th-ranked Amerigo Contini who has posted a 13-6 mark with a 10-4 tally in the No. 1.
Hunter Koontz has had a strong senior campaign, joining the ranked players at No. 105 with an 18-2 record. Joao Monteiro, ranked 109th, has posted an 14-4 mark with a 9-2 mark in the No. 3. Edoardo Tessaro has also been solid for Tech in 2015 with an 18-3 record while Jai Corbett is 11-4.
Koontz and Bjerrehus are also ranked in doubles at 39th with a 6-3 tally in the No. 1.
ETSU (17-7) claimed the SoCon title this year and are led by David Biosca with a 14-5 record in the No. 1. Rogeiro Ribeiro is 13-6 overall with a 12-6 tally in the No. 2. Ismael Merino is 15-4 in dual play.
The Bucs have twice advanced past the opening round, defeating No. 26 Notre Dame in 2008 and No. 32 Alabama in 2010. Virginia Tech has an 11-7 record over ETSU in the all-time series.
USF enters the tournament having captured its second consecutive American Athletic Conference title. A pair of ranked players as well as two ranked doubles teams lead the Bulls this season. Roberto Cid captured his second AAC Player of the Year honors and is 21st in the ITA standings. He has a 9-4 mark in the No. 1. Sasha Gozun is 124th with a record of 6-6. Oliver Pramming, Justin Roberts and Ignacio Gonzalez-Muniz are all 7-4 in duals.
Pramming and Roberts have a record of 6-2 in the No. 1 doubles and have earned a ranking of 28th in the ITA while Cid and Gozun are 2-2 and come in at 31st.
The Hokies are 5-2 all-time against the Bulls.
Boise State captured the Mountain West title this season and is playing USF for the second time this season. The Bulls won the first meeting 4-0 as part of the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Alabama.
Garrett Patton leads the Broncos with a 19-7 record, including a 15-3 mark in the No. 1. Abe Hewko is 14-9, playing primarily in the No. 6 while Brian Foley is 13-13 in the No. 4. Thomas Tehreiro is 9-9 at the two.
Virginia Tech has a 4-1 mark in the all-time series and Boise State is the most recent opponent of the Hokies at the regional. The two teams met last year in Boise when the Broncos were ranked 19th and defeated Tech 4-3.
The winner of the regional site will advance to Waco, Texas for the Round of 16 set to begin on Thursday, May 14 at the Hurd Tennis Center.