PRAIRIE VIEW, Tex. – The Prairie View A&M University (13-8) men’s tennis team officially received an automatic bid to participate in the 2005 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championships. The tournament field was announced by the NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Selection Committee on Wednesday, May 5.
The Panthers will face the number one ranked Baylor Bears (28-0) on Friday, May 13 at 6 p.m. at the Baylor Tennis Center in Waco, Texas in first round tournament action.
The Panthers earned an automatic bid by winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament, defeating Alcorn State (4-2) in the championship match. The victory gave Prairie View their first tennis title in over 30 years.
“This season our team has put in a lot of hard work,” said head tennis coach John Cochran. “It takes solid players to build a championship program. I have been fortunate to recruit players that know how to play the game and how to win.”
The Baylor Bears enter their match against Prairie View with an undefeated 28-0 record. The Bears were awarded for their play this season with a number one overall seed in the tournament. Baylor owns a 52-match win streak, currently the nation’s longest active win streak.
“Baylor is arguably the best team in the country,” said Cochran. “We have our work cut out for us but we plan to go at them full force. If we compete the way we are capable of playing it should be a very interesting match.”
No stranger to top ranked opponents, the Panthers tennis team should benefit from having played a challenging non-conference schedule.
“We know what to expect out of Baylor this weekend,” said Cochran. “Previously this season we have played 16th ranked Texas A&M, number 44 ranked Southern Methodist, and number 20th Tulane, all of which are three very successful and competitive tennis programs. We feel that the experience we gained from those matches will help us greatly as we get set to begin post season play.”
The Panthers and Bears will round out the evening of tennis competition in the second and final match of the day. The Texas Longhorns will face the Rice Owls in the opening match of the afternoon at 3 p.m.
Posted By: Will Moss
Friday, May 13th 2005 at 3:26AM
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