May 4, 2005

Columbia, S.C. –
The University of South Carolina women’s tennis team received their 11th consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday. The Gamecocks, 14-8 overall, and 6-5 in SEC play is ranked 22nd in the country and will be a No. 2 seed at the Athens regional in Athens, Ga.

The Gamecocks will face 38th-ranked Nebraska (18-3, 9-3 Big 12) in the first round of the tournament, Friday, May 13. It will be the first meeting between the two schools since March 30, 1985 when Carolina took a 6-3 victory. The match will be Carolina’s first against a Big 12 opponent since USC defeated Texas A&M, 6-0, on March 16, 1995. If the Gamecocks defeat the Cornhuskers they will play the winner of Georgia-Quinnipiac on Saturday. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 seed in the Athens Regional and the No. 8 national seed. The winner of the Athens Regional will then advance to the “Sweet 16” of the NCAA Championships which are also held in Athens, Ga..

The 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament is the 11th longest streak in Division I tennis. It is the second longest streak of any USC team that competes in a bracket format and the longest of any women’s teams at USC. For the complete bracket please go to:
http://www.ncaasports.com/tennis/womens/brackets/viewable/straight64/2005/DI