May 1, 2007
ATLANTA – Playing in its seventh straight NCAA Tournament and 10th in the last 11 years, the 46th-ranked Georgia Tech men’s tennis team (7-15) opens play Friday with a first-round matchup against No. 19 Florida (13-7) at 1 p.m. in Tallahassee, Fla.
Live scoring for the match is available by clicking here.
The first two rounds will be held at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center on the campus of Florida State. The host and 16th-ranked Seminoles (16-9) take on Manhattan (12-6) in Friday’s other first-round match.
The Tallahassee Regional final is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m., with the winner advancing to the NCAA Round of 16, beginning May 17 in Athens, Ga.
“This is a great feeling to get another opportunity to do something with this team,” said head coach Kenny Thorne. “I am thrilled that the NCAA committee recognized our effort and has given us this chance to prove ourselves.”
The Jackets’ 2007 appearance will be the 12th in the history of the program, as Thorne has now led Tech to the NCAAs in eight of his nine seasons at the helm. The Jackets enter this year’s tournament with a 6-11 record in NCAA matches, including a first round win last season over 38th-ranked Alabama in Athens, Ga.
Georgia Tech is 10-30 all-time in matches against the Gators. The two schools have not met since Florida defeated the Yellow Jackets 6-3 on Feb. 23, 1991 in Gainesville, Fla. This season’s Gators feature the nation’s third-ranked player, freshman Jesse Levine, who is a perfect 19-0 in dual match singles play.
The Yellow Jackets have not competed since a tough 4-3 loss to Miami on April 21 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
“This season has been a real humbling experience for all of us,” added Thorne. “We have been through a lot of adversity and I believe it has helped our players really grow up on and off the court. It just really says a lot about our guys. We are just happy to get this chance to try and make some noise in the tournament and we will go out and battle.”
For more information or directions to the Scott Speicher Tennis Center please visit the NCAA Tournament Central .
Day passes for the first and second round will begin at $5 for adults, $3 for students with I.D. and free for children under the age of two.
The entire bracket for the tournament is available at www.ncaasports.com.
