Sooners Draw 11th Overall Seed, Will Host Regional

NORMAN – The University of Oklahoma men's tennis team drew the 11^th overall seed for the 2016 NCAA Championships on Tuesday. The Sooners will serve as one of 16 regional host sites, with first and second round play taking place at the Headington Family Tennis Center on May 13 and 14.

This marks the seventh consecutive year that OU has hosted a regional. Oklahoma (15-10, 3-2) will take on UT Arlington on Friday, May 13 at 4 p.m. CT.

“It is always nice to host,” head coach John Roddick said. “We've had a tough year with injuries so it's nice to be getting healthier and to get to this point where we can host and really not have to leave the state for the rest of the postseason. We're excited for another two weeks of practice and to get ready for Arlington.”

The Mavericks have had an historic 2016 season, winning a program-record 18 matches and claiming the Sun Belt Conference title. UT Arlington makes its first championship appearance since 2006. OU leads the all-time series with the Mavericks 7-3 with the last meeting coming in 2008.

“Anytime you play a team that won its conference—it's very similar to basketball—you aren't going to have an easy match,” Roddick said. “If you get through the first day a little quicker it's just a bonus. We don't expect that by any means and we're going to come out and take care of business.”

"We're finally getting to a place where we feel like we are the team we can be.”"
- Head Coach John Roddick

On the other side of the regional, in-state rival Tulsa will square off with at-large selection Oregon on Friday, May 13 at 1 p.m. CT. Tulsa enters the tournament at 17-14 and ranked No. 23 by the ITA. The Golden Hurricane advanced to the championship match at the American Athletic Conference tournament over the weekend but fell 4-0 to South Florida. Oregon travels to Norman sporting a record of 18-7 and 3-4 in Pac-12 play. The 38^th-ranked Ducks were the No. 5 seed for the Pac 12 tournament where they advanced to the second round of play.

“Oregon has had a great year,” Roddick said. “That's a team that has improved a lot over the last three or four years to be where they are. Tulsa is one of the best mid-majors in the country. We've lost to them here in the tournament before. We know their team well and they know us well, so I know they will have a tough match against Oregon.”

The winners of each first round match will face off on Saturday, May 14 at 1 p.m. CT with a place in the NCAA round of 16 in Tulsa, Okla., on the line.

With junior Andrew Harris easing his way back into the singles lineup in regular season conference play, the Sooners are getting healthy at the right time of the year. Roddick and his squad are confident the team is peaking at just the right time.

“We've only played at full strength four times and you really aren't at full strength when your guy hasn't played in 10 months,” Roddick said. “So we're finally getting to a place where we feel like we are the team we can be.”

“We're very excited that we are able to host,” junior Alex Ghilea said. “The team chemistry is very good now and we are getting better every day. We are going to do what the coaches tell us to and if we have an aggressive mentality we'll have a great chance to make it to the sweet 16.”

Perhaps the biggest benefit to being a host team is the home court advantage provided by the fans. With another in-state school in the bracket the Sooners are looking forward to playing in front of a large crowd.

“We've always had good crowds for the NCAAs and that's helped us,” Roddick said. “This year are seeded 11^th but our goal is the same. Hopefully the fans will see great tennis. With Tulsa being here hopefully we'll see more fans. The schools in this region--we want to beat each other, but when we're not playing we root for each other. You want to see those teams from the region do well because it helps us to be better. If you are a fan of OU or Tulsa or even OSU, you will see a high level of tennis.”

“The fans will be a great help to us,” Ghilea said. “It's so much easier to play at home because you have their help. It's also nice to be on the courts that you practice on every day. We are used to the conditions here we know what to expect.”

Single-session tickets for the NCAA regional play will go on sale Monday, May 9. Fans can purchase tickets by calling the OU Athletics Tickets Office at 1-405-325-2424 or by visiting the ticket office in person. Adult tickets are $5, youth (ages 3-18), senior (55+), OU Students with valid ID and groups of 10 or more are $3 each.

For more information on Oklahoma Men's Tennis, follow the team on Twitter at @OU_MTennis.