Women's Tennis

April 30, 2008

Women's Tennis Earns First-Ever NCAA Tourney Bid; To Play California (Pa.)


64-team Bracket (PDF)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.- The NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Tennis Committee has selected the teams and 16 first- and second-round sites of the 2008 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championships. Saint Michael's--receiving their first NCAA tournament berth in the program's 28-year history--will play the top ranked team from the Northeast region, California (Pa.). The 16 first- and second-round tournaments will be conducted May 8-9 or 9-10, with the winner of each first- and second-round tournament advancing to the finals in Houston, Texas, with the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority and Rice University serving as co-hosts, May 14-17.

Winning a school-record 15 matches this season, the Purple Knights take a 15-6 record into the NCAA tournament following a trip to the Northeast-10 Championship. Northeast-10 Coach of the Year Greg Cluff, also became the program's winningest coach in terms of winning-percentage (60-30) while compiling a 10-2 conference record.

Powered by the freshman trio of Deahna Giguere (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee), Marybeth Ash (Westborough, Mass./Westborough) and Marran Ranks (Stratham, N.H./Exeter)--with a combined singles record of 37-8--the Purple Knights will play the 23-2 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champions, California (Pa.) Vulcans on May 8-9 or 9-10 in Wheeling, West Virginia at West Liberty State College (Directions).

The championships consist of a 16-team single elimination tournament. Each of the following eight regions will conduct two first- and second-round tournaments: East, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, South, Great Lakes, Central, North Central and West. The selection of teams for the championships is based on prescribed criteria listed in the NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Tennis Championships Handbook and approved by the NCAA Division II Championships Committee.

Information pertaining to teams, dates and sites is included on the 64-team Women's Tennis bracket.

Nineteen conferences receive automatic qualification into the 2008 women's championships.

Each conference and its automatic qualifier is listed below:

CACC - Holy Family

CIAA - Virginia State

Conference Carolinas - Erskine

East Coast - Queens College (New York)

Great Lakes Intercollegiate - Northwood (Michigan)

Great Lakes Valley - Drury

Gulf South - Valdosta State

Lone Star - Abilene Christian

Mid-America Intercol. - Southwest Baptist

North Central - North Dakota

Northeast-10 - Bryant

Northern Sun Intercollegiate - Winona State

Peach Belt - Armstrong Atlantic State

PSAC - California (Pennsylvania)

RMAC - Nebraska-Kearney

South Atlantic - Tusculum

SIAC - Tuskegee

Sunshine State - Lynn

West Virginia Intercollegiate - West Virginia State

In the 2007 championships, BYU- Hawaii defeated West Florida, 5-0.

###PURPLE KNIGHTS###