May 13, 2010
2010 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships Bracket 
Texas A&M NCAA Tournament Central
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The 10th-seeded and 10th-ranked Texas A&M men's tennis team will face Prairie View A&M in first-round action of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship to be held on Friday, May 14 at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
First serve between the Aggies (23-6) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Panthers (10-15) is set for 6 p.m. (CT) preceded by a matchup between 18th-ranked Mississippi (18-7) and Mountain West Conference champion TCU (12-12) at 3 p.m. (CT). The winners from both first-round matches will compete in second-round action on Saturday, May 15 at 3 p.m. (CT).
The Aggies (23-6) are hosting back-to-back NCAA Regionals for the first time since the 2002 and 2003 seasons. They earned that right by way of a season-high No. 9 national ranking, six top 20 dual-match victories, a 13-match regular-season win streak and a 5-1 league mark to finish in second-place in the final Big 12 Conference standings for the second consecutive year. A&M has won 16 of its last 18 matches of the season and is heading into NCAA Tournament play ranked among the top 10 teams in the country for the first time since 2003.
"We have so much respect for our opponent," said fourth-year Texas A&M head coach Steve Denton. "We know Prairie View has some solid players and won their conference title. It's important for us to take care of business this weekend, but in order to do so, we have to go out there and play with a lot of intensity. We gained a lot of confidence at the Big 12 Tournament, where we played three good teams (Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas) on three consecutive days and were in a good position to win it all. With that in mind, I like our chances against any team in the country, especially if we are playing well on all cylinders."
The Aggies are an undefeated 2-0 in the all-time series with Prairie View A&M and last met Mississippi in a 4-1 loss in the NCAA Sweet 16 a year ago in College Station. They lead 3-2 in the all-time series with Ole Miss and have won the last four-straight meetings with old Southwest Conference rival TCU, even though the Horned Frogs own a 31-12 advantage in the series.
A&M is led by co-Big 12 Player of the Year Marcus Lunt (San Antonio, Texas). Dadamo and Krajicek are currently ranked No. 5 nationally in doubles, while Grigorov and Lunt are ranked No. 34.
The rest of the four-team tournament field includes nationally-ranked players in No. 97 Tucker Vorster of Ole Miss along with ranked doubles teams in No. 42 Emanu Brighiu and Christopher Price of TCU and No. 20 Christoph Thiemann and Marcel Thiemann and No. 61 Jonas Lutjen and Tucker Vorster of Ole Miss.
"We are really excited to be at home and hosting for the second year in a row," said Krajicek who is making his third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. "It's a great opportunity for us to hopefully, get back to the Sweet 16. But, we know we will have tough competition ahead of us this weekend and can't take any team for granted."
Live scoring, live video and results from the first and second rounds can be accessed via the Texas A&M NCAA Tournament Central link at: http://www.aggieathletics.com/sports/m-tennis/spec-rel/2010-tournament.html
Aggies In Postseason Play...Texas A&M is making its 18th overall NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and 17th consecutive since 1994. The Aggies have reached the Round of 16 on nine all-time occasions and the Elite Eight once in 2001. They are 25-17 all-time in postseason play and have advanced past the first round 15 times.
Ticket Information...Fans can purchase tickets by calling the 12th Man Foundation Ticket Center at 1-888-99-AGGIE or by going online at: www.12thManFoundation.com/tickets. Ticket prices range from $12 for all-session reserved (Stadium Club seating), $7 single day reserved (Stadium Club seating), $5 single day general admission and $3 single day for students and youth.
Match Promotions...The Texas A&M men's tennis team would like to thank their fellow A&M students for their support throughout the season by offering free tickets to this weekend's NCAA festivities. Should the Aggies advance to the second round, the first 100 students (who present a valid University ID) on Saturday will receive free admission to the match.
What's At Stake...The winner of the College Station Regional will advance to the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Tennis Championships hosted next week by the University of Georgia. The team championship will be held on May 20-25 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. Fifth-seeded and fifth-ranked USC (19-3) enters this year's tournament as the defending men's national champion.