The UCSB men’s tennis team, winners of its fourth consecutive Big West championship, will travel to USC for the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament on May 8, it was announced Tuesday.
“There is tremendous parity in college tennis today and we feel we can play with any team,” said Gaucho head coach Marty Davis. “We’ve been in it before and we should not be intimidated by anyone.”
UCSB, 11-13, entered the Big West Tournament as the fourth seed, but wins over UC Davis, No. 1 seeded Pacific, and No. 2 seeded UC Irvine propelled the Gauchos to their fourth straight title and sixth in the last eight years.
USC, ranked seventh in the nation, enters the NCAA Tournament with a 19-5 overall record. The Trojans finished 5-1 in Pac Ten play and had won seven straight matches before dropping a decision to No. 9 UCLA on April 17.
Joining UCSB and USC at the regional will be the University of Minnesota and the University of New Mexico. The time of the match has yet to be determined.
