April 28, 2009

Head Coach Arlo Elkins (Free!) | NCAA Bracket in PDF Format

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 22-ranked South Carolina women’s tennis team earned its 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid Tuesday and will face No. 40 Wake Forest in the first round May 9 at 9 a.m. at Goodfriend Tennis Center in Knoxville, Tenn.

The 10th-ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers host East Tennessee State in the other half of the regional. The two teams are scheduled to play at noon May 9 and the winners of both contests will meet at 1 p.m. the following day for the right to advance to the NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championships at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas, over May 15-19.

General admission tickets will be $5, while student tickets will be $3 with ID. Children two-and-under will be admitted free of charge. Tickets may be purchased the day of the match at the gate and no advance tickets will be sold. Tickets will be sold as single day admissions and pass outs will be allowed. Gates will open one hour prior to the beginning of the match.

The Gamecocks enter the tournament with a 14-10 overall record and were 6-5 in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina reached the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament after posting a first-round win against No. 26 Kentucky. Tennessee defeated South Carolina in the quarters 4-2.

Overall, South Carolina has now reached the NCAA Tournament 19 times in the event’s 28-year history. Last year, the Gamecocks won a thrilling 4-3 decision against VCU in the first round in Athens, Ga., before losing to Georgia 4-0 in the second round. South Carolina has reached the round of 16 five times (1983, 1983, 1990, 1995, 1999) and advanced as far as the quarterfinals once in 1982.

Individual selections for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships will be posted on NCAA.com and NCAA.org on Wednesday no later than 6 p.m. South Carolina’s Gira Schofield, currently ranked No. 46, is hoping to become the first Gamecock in school history to earn four consecutive bids, while Ana Marija Zubori, ranked No. 43, is looking to make her first appearance. Zubori and Natasa Vuckovic are ranked 37th in doubles and look to make their first NCAA showing in doubles as well.