Texas A&M Selected to Host NCAA First and Second Rounds for Seventh Straight Season
COLLEGE STATION – The 11th-ranked Texas A&M men’s tennis team received its 26th consecutive bid to the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship, announced Monday evening. The Aggies were named one of 16 host schools as the No. 13 seed and host first-and second-round action at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center, May 3-4. The Maroon and White take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (19-8) in the NCAA opening round, while No. 21 Oklahoma (15-10) and No. 26 Arizona (17-6) compete in the other first-round contest.
First-round matches in College Station begin on Friday, May 3, with the Sooners and Wildcats facing off at 10 a.m., followed by the Aggies (20-7) and Islander at 1 p.m. The two winners will meet at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, to determine which team advances to next weekend’s Round of 16 matchup against the winner of the regional in Winston-Salem, hosted by No. 3 Wake Forest.
The 2019 selection marks the 27th overall appearance for the men’s tennis team in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Aggies hosted the first and second rounds in College Station, defeating Lamar and No. 18 Baylor en route to the NCAA Semifinals in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Aggies bested Alabama, No. 13 Baylor before falling to eventual National Champion and host No. 1 Wake Forest.
The NCAA Selection Committee named Ohio State (1), Texas (2), Florida (3), Wake Forest (4), Virginia (5), Baylor (6), Mississippi State (7), USC (8), North Carolina (9), TCU (10), UCLA (11), Stanford (12), Texas A&M (13), Tennessee (14), Illinois (15) and Columbia (16) the national seeds. In addition to the four national seeds from the SEC, six additional teams were named to the field of 64 (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Vanderbilt).
All-session and single match tickets will be on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Texas A&M students with a valid student ID are free, compliments of Texas A&M head coach Steve Denton. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 888-992-4443, online at www.12thmanfoundation.com or in person from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kyle Field Box Office located on the north end of the stadium. Tickets can also be purchased at the Mitchell Tennis Center starting at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 3.
NCAA Singles and Doubles brackets will be announced Tuesday on NCAA.com, visit 12thMan.com for more information on Aggies in the field. Texas A&M tennis fans also can keep up to date with the team on Twitter by following @AggieMTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieMTEN.
NCAA Notes
– The Aggies are 42-27 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Round of Sixteen 14 times, the Round of Eight three times and the NCAA Semifinal in 2018.
– Head Coach Steve Denton is 22-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
– With this season’s appearance, Texas A&M has advanced to 27 NCAA Tournaments and made 26 consecutive appearances.
– Texas A&M is 6-0 all-time against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 26-7 vs. Oklahoma and 3-0 against Arizona.
Texas A&M Head Coach Steve Denton Quotes
On hosting the first and second rounds …
“I am excited for our guys getting to host the first two rounds here in College Station. This tournament is tough enough and having the luxury of staying home and playing in front of our fans is a testament to the season we have had so far.”
On the three teams headed to College Station…
“We had a pretty good idea that Oklahoma was coming and thought we had a decent chance to host Arizona as well. Both of them have had impressive seasons and bring a talented roster to town. It is also nice that A&M-Corpus Christi is headed here, that is where I got my start in college coaching and am excited to host their head coach and good friend, Steve Moore.”
NCAA First and Second Rounds
(Mitchell Tennis Center, College Station, Texas)
First Round
Friday, May 3
No. 21 Oklahoma (15-10) vs. No. 26 Arizona (17-6), 10 a.m.
No. 11 Texas A&M (20-7) vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (19-8), 1 p.m.
Second Round
Saturday, May 4
Oklahoma/Arizona winner vs. Texas A&M/Texas A&M-Corpus Christi winner, 1 p.m.
Ticket information:
Tickets to the first and second-round matches can be purchased in advance at 12thManFoundation.com or during business hours at the Athletic Ticket Office located at Kyle Field or by calling the ticket office at 1-888-99-AGGIE or 979-845-2311. Tickets also will be available for purchase on match days at the Mitchell Tennis Center beginning one hour before match time.
$18 All-Session Reserved (Stadium Club)
$10 Single Day Reserved (Stadium Club)
$5 Single Day General Admission
$3 Single Day Student/Youth General Admission
Free for children under age two in General Admission seating
Texas A&M Men’s Tennis NCAA History: 27 times (26 consecutive)
2018 – (5th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat Lamar (4-0); beat Baylor (4-1)
Won in Round of 16 against Alabama (4-0) (Wake Forest)
Won in Quarterfinals against Florida (4-3) (Wake Forest)
Lost in Semifinals against Wake Forest (4-3) (Wake Forest)
Lost in Round of 16 to #5 UCLA (4-1) (Georgia)
2017 – (12th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat Buffalo (4-0); beat Oregon (4-0)
Lost in Round of 16 to #5 UCLA (4-1) (Georgia)
2016 – (12th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat George Washington (4-0); lost to Texas (4-3)
2015 – (6th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat Eastern Kentucky (4-0); beat Oklahoma State (4-2)
Won in Round of 16 against #11 Ohio State (4-3) (Baylor, played at SMU due to weather)
Lost in Quarterfinals to #3 Virginia (4-0) (Baylor)
2014 – (8th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat Alcorn State (4-0); lost to Cal (4-3)
2013 – (12th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat Marist (4-0); beat Texas (4-3)
Lost in Round of 16 to #5 Ohio State (4-0) (Illinois)
2012 – Beat South Carolina (4-0); lost to host USC (4-0)
2011 – (9th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat Alcorn State (4-0); beat LSU (4-0)
Lost in Round of 16 to #8 Stanford (4-2) (Stanford)
2010 – (10th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat Prairie View A&M (4-0); beat Ole Miss (4-2)
Lost in Round of 16 to #7 Baylor (4-1) (Georgia)
2009 – (15th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat Binghamton (4-0); beat Arizona (4-0)
Lost in Round of 16 to #2 Ole Miss (4-1) (College Station)
2008 – Beat SMU (4-1); lost to host #9 Baylor (4-2)
2007 – Beat Rice (4-2); lost to host #3 Baylor (4-0)
2006 – (16th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat UTA (4-0); lost to Notre Dame (4-2)
2005 – (16th seed) Beat Montana State (4-0); beat Boise State (4-0) (Boise, ID)
Lost in Round of 16 to #1 Baylor (4-0) (College Station)
2004- Beat Alabama (4-0); beat host Virginia Commonwealth (4-0) (Richmond, VA)
Lost in Round of 16 to #3 UCLA (4-1) (Tulsa)
2003 – (10th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat Maryland-BC (4-0); beat South Florida (4-1)
Lost in Round of 16 to #6 Vanderbilt (4-1) (Georgia)
2002 – (16th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat Southern (4-0); beat LSU (4-0)
Lost in Round of 16 to #1 Georgia (4-1) (College Station)
2001 – (7th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat St. Bonaventure (4-0); Beat Vanderbilt (4-0)
Won in Round of 16 against #15 LSU (4-1) (Georgia)
Lost in Elite Eight to #4 TCU (4-0) (Georgia)
2000 – (7th seed) Host 1st and 2nd rounds: Beat Army (4-0); Beat Louisiana-Lafayette (4-0)
Lost in Round of 16 against #9 Tennessee (4-3) (Georgia)
1999 – Beat Texas Tech (4-3); lost to host #4 Texas (4-1)
**NCAA expanded to current 64-team team in 1999.
1998 – At Austin: Beat Arkansas-Little Rock (4-0); beat Arkansas (4-3)
Lost to SMU (4-3) in regional championship
1997 – At Fort Worth: Lost to Texas (5-0)
1996 – At Austin: Beat Texas Tech (4-3); lost to host Texas (4-3)
1995 – Hosted: Beat Arkansas (4-1); lost to Texas (4-3)
1994 – At Houston: Beat Texas Tech (4-0); beat Arkansas (4-3)
Advanced to Round of 16 and lost to Duke (4-1) (Notre Dame)
1985 – Lost in Round of 16 to Pepperdine (5-3)
Texas A&M Women’s Tennis Sent to Austin for NCAA First and Second Rounds
COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M women’s tennis team received an at-large bid to the 64-team NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championship and open the tournament against the No. 41 Rice Owls at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 4 at the Texas Tennis Center in Austin, the NCAA announced Monday evening.
The winner between Texas A&M (22-7) and Rice (16-7) will face the winner between host and No. 9 seed Texas (18-4) and Long Island (14-7) in second-round action at noon on Sunday, May 5, also at the Texas Tennis Center. The second-round winner advances to the Round of 16 scheduled to take place at No. 8 seed Vanderbilt.
The Aggies (22-7) are making their 20th consecutive and 25th overall appearance in the tournament. Last year, 30th-ranked Texas A&M was sent to Austin, where the Aggies defeated Rice, 4-3, in the first round before falling to No. 6 Texas, 4-0, in the second round.
A&M’s best finish in program history was runner-up at the 2013 NCAA Championship, where the Aggies fell to Stanford, 4-3, in the championship match at Urbana, Illinois.
Rice received an automatic bid after winning the Conference-USA tournament championship and is making its eighth consecutive and 12th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Last year the Texas A&M eliminated the Owls from the NCAA tournament, 4-3, in the first round in Austin.
Long Island received an automatic bid after winning the Northeast Conference tournament championship for the third straight season. The Blackbirds also won the NEC regular-season title after completing a 5-0 conference season.
Texas went undefeated in the Big 12 Conference regular season before falling in the Big 12 Tournament final to No. 20 Kansas, 4-2, in Lawrence. The Longhorns are making their fourth consecutive and 36th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
A&M holds a 27-10 lead in the all-time series against the Owls.
A&M has won four of the last six meetings against Texas, all under previous head coach Howard Joffe, who was hired as the head coach of the Longhorns following the 2015 season. Texas leads the all-time series, 44-10, including 15-2 in matches played in Austin.
A&M and Long Island have never met.
Texas A&M is one of nine teams representing the Southeastern Conference in the tournament field. Georgia is the No. 1 seed and South Carolina and Vanderbilt are the Nos. 4 and 8 seeds, respectively. Alabama, Florida, LSU, Kentucky and Tennessee also made the tournament field.
The Aggies earned fifth place in the SEC regular-season standings with an 8-5 record. A&M returns to action after falling to top-ranked Georgia, 4-0, in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament on April 20 in College Station.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Weaver Quotes
On the first and second rounds draw…
“I am excited for the draw. We always take our guesses on what it will be and it turned out exactly like we thought it would be. We have a tough first match against Rice and we are not looking past that. Playing a team from down the road is exciting, Rice is a very good team after winning their conference. Every time we play them it is a battle. The team is excited and we have had a great year and have a lot of positive momentum going into the tournament.”
On the teams play headed into the NCAA Tournament…
“We are coming off a great SEC Tournament, getting a couple of quality wins. Having beat Tennessee we were able to get a little bit of revenge against them after a taking a tough loss in Knoxville in the regular season. We played a great match against No. 1 Georgia in the semifinals. We played really good tennis throughout the season and only had a couple matches that we would have really liked to have back, but besides that we have had a great season and have really improved throughout the year. I think we are primed to have a great run at the NCAA Tournament.”
NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS
(Texas Tennis Center, Austin, Texas)
Saturday, May 4
No. 18 Texas A&M (22-7) vs. No. 41 Rice (16-7), 9 a.m.
No. 8 Texas (18-4) vs. Long Island (14-7), 12 p.m.
Sunday, May 5
Texas A&M/Rice winner vs. Texas/Long Island winner, noon
TEXAS A&M TOURNAMENT FACTS:
Team Appearances……. 25 (1986, ’89, ’96, ’97, ’98, 2000, ’01, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07, ’08, ’09, ’10, ’11, ’12, ’13, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17, ’18, ’19)
All-Time Team Record.. 25-24
Best Finish…………………. Finals (2013)
Highest Seed……………… 3 (2013)
NOTES:
- Texas A&M is making its 25th overall and its 20th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship.
- A&M reached the finals of the 2013 NCAA Championship, marking the best finish in school history.
- Last year, 30th-ranked Texas A&M was sent to Austin, where the Aggies defeated Rice, 4-3, in the first round before falling to No. 6 Texas, 4-0, in the second round.
- A&M is one of 9 teams representing the SEC in the NCAA Championship. Other SEC teams, with seeds in parentheses, are Georgia (1), South Carolina (4), Vanderbilt (8), Alabama, Florida, LSU, Kentucky and Tennessee.
- Stanford is the defending national champion.
- Georgia is this year’s No. 1 seed.
- Texas A&M is 5-6 against the 2019 tournament field, with wins coming against Vanderbilt, LSU, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.
- Texas A&M went 8-5 in the SEC regular season, earning fifth place.
- The NCAA Individual Championship participants (singles and doubles) will be posted at NCAA.com, Tuesday, April 30.
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M women’s tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M women’s tennis team by following @AggieWTEN on Twitter and Instagram, as well as on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieWTEN.
Stories courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics