Texas A&M Women to Face Louisiana-Monroe in NCAA First Round

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The 20^th-ranked Texas A&M women's tennis team received an at-large bid to the 64-team NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship and will open against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 13 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas, the NCAA announced today. 
The winner between Texas A&M (16-12) and ULM (16-1) will face the winner between host and No. 16 seed Baylor (21-6) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (20-2) in second round action at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 14, also at the Hurd Tennis Center.
 
The second-round winner advances to the round of 16 and the final championship site, the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia, May 19-23, with the University of Georgia serving as host.
 
"We are very much looking forward to competing in the NCAA tournament," Texas A&M second-year head coach Mark Weaver said. "Louisiana-Monroe has had a fine year, and we will need to be ready to go come Day 1. We have had a very good year and a handful of big wins, and we know that on any given day we can play at the highest of levels against any team in the event. We have had some excellent practices, and the girls are excited and ready to go."
 
The Aggies (16-12) are making their 18^th consecutive and 23^rd overall appearance in the tournament. Last year, 19^th-ranked Texas A&M defeated No. 48 Denver in the first round before being eliminated in the second round by 15^th-ranked and eventual national champion Stanford, 4-3, at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium in Stanford, California,
 
A&M's best finish in program history was runner-up at the 2013 NCAA Championship, where the Aggies fell to Stanford, 4-3, in the championship match at Urbana, Illinois.
 
ULM received an automatic bid and is riding a 15-match win streak into the NCAA tournament after capturing its first-ever Sun Belt Conference tournament championship. The Warhawks, whose only loss was a 4-1 setback at Auburn in the second match of the season, are making their second overall appearance, having made their inaugural appearance in 2003.
 
Texas A&M is 1-3 all-time against ULM (formerly Northeast Louisiana) since the series began in 1980. The teams most recently met on Feb. 15, 1991, in College Station, with the Aggies picking up their first victory against the Warhawks, 8-0.
 
Baylor, 15-0 in home matches this season, received an at-large berth and is making its making its 13^th consecutive and 20^th overall appearance in the postseason tournament. Last year, the Bears were eliminated by No. 5 seed Georgia, 4-0, in the second round.
 
The Islanders received an automatic bid and are making their third appearance in four years after winning the Southland Conference Tournament. Last year, the Islanders were eliminated by Stanford in the first round.
 
Currently ranked 20th in the ITA team rankings, Texas A&M is one of 12 teams representing the Southeastern Conference in the tournament field. Florida is the No. 1 seed and Vanderbilt and Georgia are the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, respectively. Auburn (11) and South Carolina (14) also were amongst the 16 seeded teams, while Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Tennessee join A&M as No. 17-32 seeds.
 
The Aggies tied LSU for eighth place in the SEC regular season with a 6-7 record. A&M has not played since falling to the Tigers, 4-3, in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on April 20 in Nashville.
 
NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS
(Hurd Tennis Center, Waco, Texas)
 
Saturday, May 13
Texas A&M (16-12) vs. ULM (16-1), 10 a.m.
No. 16 Baylor (21-6) vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (20-2), 1 p.m.


Sunday, May 14
Texas A&M/ULM winner vs. No. 16 Baylor/Texas A&M-Corpus Christi winner, 4 p.m.
 
 
TEXAS A&M TOURNAMENT FACTS:
Team Appearances....... 23 (1986, '89, '96, '97, '98, 2000, '01, '02, '03, '04, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16, '17)
All-Time Team Record.. 22-22
Best Finish...................... Finals (2013)
Highest Seed.................. 3 (2013)
 
NOTES:

• Texas A&M is making its 23^rd overall and its 18^th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship.
• A&M reached the finals of the 2013 NCAA Championship, marking the best finish in school history.
• Last year, 18^th-ranked Texas A&M reached at least the second round for the fifth consecutive season and 14th time overall , defeating Denver, 4-0, in the first round and falling to 15^th-ranked and eventual national champion Stanford, 4-3, in the second round in Stanford, California.
• A&M is one of 12 teams representing the SEC in the NCAA Championship. Other SEC teams, with seeds in parentheses, are Florida (1), Vanderbilt (4), Georgia (5), Auburn (11), South Carolina (14), Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Tennessee.
• Stanford is the defending national champion.
• Florida is this year's No. 1 seed.
• Texas A&M is 8-11 against the 2017 tournament field, including wins against No. 5 seed Georgia and No. 11 seed Auburn.
• Texas A&M went 6-7 in the SEC regular season, tying LSU for eighth place.
• A&M was the No. 9 seed in the SEC Tournament and fell to No. 8 seed LSU, 4-3, in the quarterfinals in Nashville.
• The NCAA Individual Championship participants (singles and doubles) will be posted at NCAA.com, Wednesday, May 3.

 
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M women's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M women's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN or on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Aggie-Womens-Tennis/143874782434654