Hokies tennis teams prepare for NCAA tournament
Andreas Bjerrehus performs a backhand in the match against Charleston, Feb. 25, 2016.
Loren Skinker / Collegiate Times
Both the men and women’s tennis teams waited and listened on Tuesday to hear where they would be headed for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The 32nd-ranked men’s team found it would be traveling to Columbus, Ohio, to face No. 20 Kentucky. The game will take place on May 14 at 10 a.m.
The 34th-ranked women’s team will instead head to Lubbock, Texas, for an opening round contest against No. 21 Mississippi State. Taking place a day earlier than the men’s, the team will play on May 13 with the time yet to be determined.
This marks the 10th consecutive trip to the tournament for the men’s team, as the 17-8 Hokies play Kentucky for the second time in the NCAA first round in the last five years. Tech fell to the Wildcats in an earlier matchup in 2012, 4-1.
However, more recently, the team won its opening round matchup in the NCAA tournament last season against Boise State before falling to South Florida in the next round.
The winner of Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky will play the victor of Tennessee Tech and host Ohio State. Look for Andreas Bjerrehus and Amerigo Contini, two of six seniors, to lead the way for the Hokies.
The women are heading to their second consecutive NCAA tournament, their first back-to-back appearances since 1999 and 2000.
The team also won its NCAA opening match last season against Long Beach State: the first NCAA Tournament road win in the program’s history.
Should the Hokies win, they would play the winner of Boston University and host Texas Tech. For now though, all focus is on Mississippi State. The Bulldogs enter with a 17-8 record, after falling to No. 4 Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament, and they bring three players in the ITA’s top 125 players.
Francesca Fusinato and Elena Cerezo-Codina will look to take charge for Virginia Tech and continue their great play after being named second and third team All-ACC last week.