Tuesday, May 03, 2011

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (May, 3 2011) –After winning its fifth straight Atlantic Sun Conference Championship just over two weeks ago, the ETSU men’s tennis team finally learned its first round match-up on Tuesday afternoon during the NCAA.com selection show.

With players, coaches, staff members and fans watching inside the Humphreys Center, ETSU (17-5) received news that it will be traveling to the Columbus Regional and will take on Notre Dame (17-11) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Bucs, who enter the tournament ranked 55th in latest ITA poll, have won eight straight matches.

Director of Tennis Yaser Zaatini’s squad will be making their ninth NCAA appearance all-time. The first round match between ETSU and Notre Dame is a familiar one as the two teams faced each other in an identical situation during the 2007-08 season. Strangely enough, the match was during the first round of the NCAA tournament and also in the Columbus Regional. The Bucs earned their first ever victory in the Big Dance as they knocked off the then 30th-ranked Irish in a 4-2 decision.

The Bucs earned their second NCAA victory last season when they knocked off No. 32 Alabama in the opening round of the Knoxville Regional.

Notre Dame enters the field after receiving an at-large bid from the committee, following a year in which the team defeated 11 nationally ranked opponents. Under the direction of head coach Bobby Bayliss, the Fighting Irish have earned 20 of the last 21 NCAA team championship draws.

Joining ETSU and Notre Dame in Columbus is the top-seed in the regional Ohio State (30-2) and Ball State (15-14).

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