April 30, 2008

The Southern University Jaguars now know where they will travel to for the NCAA's. SU jump on the big bird, and will travel to Los Angeles, CA to take on the #6 seeded Trojans of USC in the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships.

Jeff Conyers has guided the Southern Jaguars Men's Tennis Team to teh 2008 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships.

SU, 10-11 overall, will face a 19-4 USC Trojan team. As the high seed in the bracket, USC will play host to three teams at Marks Stadium next week for the NCAA First and Second Rounds. The Jaguars will face USC at 12 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, after Boise State (21-11) and California (12-10) have faced off in the other first-round match at 9 a.m. The winners will play in the NCAA Second Round match at 12 p.m. on Sunday, May 11 at Marks Stadium. Start times are subject to change.

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 Tennis Championships at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, hosted by the University of Tulsa. The team championship will be held May 16-20.

The teams will play a single-elimination tournament at 16 first- and second-round sites (four teams at each site) and the finals site (16-team bracket) to determine the national champion. The matches shall be regulation dual matches with three (3) eight-game, pro-set doubles played for one team point, followed by six (6) singles matches, each valued at one team point, played best of three sets. Regular scoring will be used and a 12-point tiebreaker will be played at eight games all in doubles and at six games all in singles.

The winner of each opening site advances to the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships at Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla., hosted by the University of Tulsa. Beginning with the Round of 16, NCAA team competition in Tulsa is set to run May 16-20, followed by the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships from May 21-26 at the same location.

Southern's trip to the 2008 NCAA Tournament marks the fourth appearance for the Jaguars, and their first since 2004.

The Jags made the 2008 NCAA Tournament by defeating Prairie View A&M in the final of the SWAC Tennis Tourney. Southern entered the 2008 SWAC Tennis Tourney undefeated in conference play, with Marlon Gichie and Tyler Chin undefeated in SWAC play (8-0), and Bino Rasedisa at 7-1 in SWAC singles play.

Southern claimed the doubles point winning pairings one and two. Prairie View opened singles action with picking up three wins, but Southern rebounded as Elvis Espinal (pairing four) and Kashwayne Nelson (pairing six) gained needed singles win. In the deciding singles match, Tyler Chin gained a three-set victory. Elvis Espinal and Tyler Chin were named to the All-Tournament team, with Espinal being named Most Outstanding Player.