SIUE Women’s Tennis Faces Vanderbilt in NCAA First Round
SIUE women’s tennis will face defending national champion and No. 6 seed Vanderbilt in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Nashville, Friday, May 13 at the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center. The match is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT.
Vanderbilt is the opening round host that will feature the Commodores and Cougars. The winner of that match will go on to face either Rice or Clemson.
“They're a good team, and they are well-coached,” said SIUE Head Coach Nick Mueller. “We’re excited to go, and it's a first for our program’s history to be in the Division I championship. To be able to go to Vanderbilt and play the defending champs is a privilege for us. Our girls will cherish the experience.”
The Commodores were the Southeastern Conference regular season champion, boasting an overall record of 19-5 and an SEC record of 11-2. Vanderbilt lost to Georgia in the semifinal match of the SEC Tournament, earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The field is set for 64 teams to compete in a single-elimination tournament with the final rounds located in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Cougars earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after clinching their first Ohio Valley Conference Championship against UT Martin, adding to its 11-match win streak, which is the longest since moving to Division I. SIUE also clinched a share of the regular season title with a 19-4 overall record and 9-1 OVC record. It’s the most wins the Cougars have earned since joining the conference and the most overall wins in the D-I era.
