UA tennis squads gear up for NCAA championships

It may not be as hyped as a certain 64-school tournament held in March, but for the UA men's and women's tennis squads, next month will be May madness.

The NCAA released its 64-school tournament brackets yesterday for both men and women's tennis, ranking UA's women as high as No. 16 out of the entire 64-team pool. The men made the field of 64 as well, although unranked. The Wildcats will be playing out of the No. 4 bracket with the fourth-ranked California squad hosting.

According to College Tennis Online, the top 16 schools are given ranks and the rest are seeded in various groupings.

The women's squad received an extra boost in the rankings after finishing the season ranked No. 22 in the nation. It will travel across the country to Boston to take on Niagara University. The Purple Eagles won the MAAC title this season by bolstering an undefeated record in conference play.

"It's pretty exciting," head coach Vicky Maes said of the high seeding. "It should be a good match."

Maes said the first round matchup on the East Coast should not affect her team's ability to perform. If Arizona advances, it will face the winner of Oklahoma State and home team Harvard. All three games will be played in Cambridge on the campus of Harvard.

"Everyone is excited about a trip to Boston," Maes said of her players. "Everyone is excited and ready to go."

Concern in travel arises with the second round. Should Arizona advance, the Wildcats will return to Tucson for two days before heading back to the east coast to Gainesville, Fla.

The men will travel a shorter distance to reach their first round destination. The Wildcats will head to Hellman Tennis Complex on May 10-11 to face Boise State (17-7) in the opening round.

Joining Arizona in its bracket is No. 4 California, who will take on Big Sky conference winner Sacramento State. Cal finished the year ranked seventh in the nation while Arizona closed the regular season at No. 34 with a 9-10 record overall and 3-4 in the Pac-10.