Wednesday, May 03, 2006

MACON, Ga. - The reigning Atlantic Sun Champion Belmont men’s tennis team will face #14 seed Ole Miss in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship when the championship bracket was announced on Wednesday night.

The Bruins (7-8) will face the Rebels on Saturday, May 13 on the Rebels’ homecourt, the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center in Oxford, Mississippi. The other first round match in Oxford features Auburn and Florida State. The winners of the first round matches will play in the second round match on Sunday, May 14. Times for all matches in Oxford have not been determined.

“ I am really excited that we will get the chance to play Ole Miss, who is one of the more successful programs in the nation,” said Jim Madrigal, Belmont head coach. “Playing the Rebels will be a big challenge for us, but I know our team looks forward to it.”

Ole Miss (20-5) enters the NCAA Championship ranked #14 in this week’s ITA/Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings. They won the SEC Western Division title, but fell in the SEC Tournament Final to #1 Georgia 4-2 on April 23.

Last season, in 2005, the Rebels reached the NCAA Final Four before falling to eventual national champion UCLA in the national semifinals.

The Bruins captured its first A-Sun championship and the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament on April 15. The Bruins, who were a No. 4 seed in the tournament, knocked off top-seeded ETSU and second-seeded Stetson to take the title. In addition, Belmont had a 1-2 record versus ranked teams this spring. They lost to #59 Nebraska, but split their two matches with #67 ETSU.

For more information on this year’s championship, visit the NCAA Championship website at www.ncaasports.com or the Ole Miss Athletics site at www.olemisssports.com.

Release courtesy of Belmont Athletic Communications