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Three MWC Teams Headed to NCAA Tennis Tournaments TCU men and UNLV women earn automatic bids; TCU women receive at-large invitation
April 29, 2008 The TCU men's and UNLV women's tennis teams will represent the Mountain West Conference in their respective 64-team fields at the 2008 NCAA Men's and Women's Tennis Tournament after earning the league's automatic bids by winning the men's and women's titles at the MWC Championships last week in Fort Worth, Texas. The Mountain West will also send an additional team to the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship as TCU received an at-large invitation. First- and second-round competition will be conducted Friday-Saturday or Saturday-Sunday, May 9-10 or 10-11, with the winner of each site advancing to the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Tennis Championships at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, hosted by the University of Tulsa. The team championships will be held May 15-20. In Austin, Texas, 34th-ranked TCU (20-7) will face 24th-ranked Rice (16-8), while 74th-ranked Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (15-7) takes on host and seventh-seeded Texas in opening-round action of the NCAA Men's Tournament. Led by 2008 MWC Co-Player of the Year Cosmin Cotet, the Frogs will be making their 22nd all-time trip to the NCAA Tournament after seeing a streak of 16 consecutive NCAA appearances end last season. In Los Angeles, Calif., 37th-ranked UNLV (17-8) will play 18th-ranked Pepperdine (19-4), while number 10 seed and host USC plays Marist (10-8) in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tournament. Three-time MWC Player of the Year Elena Gantcheva heads up a Lady Rebel squad that is making its fifth NCAA appearance in seven years and seventh overall. In other women's first-round NCAA tournament action in Waco, Texas, 26th-ranked TCU (20-5) faces 40th-ranked Tulsa (21-5), while No. 5 seed and host Baylor (28-2) meets up with 69th-ranked Furman (19-5). The Lady Frogs are making their fifth consecutive and 11th overall NCAA appearance. Individual singles and doubles entrants for the 2008 NCAA Men's and Women's Tennis Championships will be announced on Wednesday, April 30.
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