SportsLink

WSU, EWU tennis teams in NCAA tourney

Posted by Nick

April 29, 2008 12:20 p.m. • 0 comments

For the first time in its history, the Eastern Washington men’s tennis team has earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. And 80 miles south, the Washington State women celebrated Tuesday as they were selected as one of 64 teams in the women’s tennis tournament.

The Eagles will take on Pac-10 champion UCLA on May 10 at the Bruins’ home court in Los Angeles. The Eastern Washington men (18-6, 7-1 Big Sky) are in the middle of the best season in school history.

In the Big Sky championship match Sunday, the Eagles secured their tournament appearance with a 4-3 victory over Sacramento State. In the Bruins, they will face the fifth-consecutive Pac-10 champions and the No. 3 team in the nation.

The Cougars women, ranked 42nd nationally, are one of seven Pac-10 teams in the tournament. In the first round, Washington State will face No. 27 Louisiana State on May 9 in Berkeley, Calif.

This season, Washington State played to 16-9 overall, but registered a 2-6 record in Pac-10 play. In the powerhouse conference are No. 4 Stanford, No. 7 UCLA, No. 8 California, No. 10 USC, No. 21 Arizona State and No. 38 Washington - which the Cougars beat 4-3 on April 19.

Also in the Cougars’ first- and second-round bracket is California and Army. Rounding out Eastern Washington’s bracket are Washington and Wisconsin. The men’s and women’s NCAA tennis finals are May 15 to 20 in Tulsa, Okla.