May 7, 2008

GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Paladin women's tennis team will begin play in the NCAA Regional Friday, May 9, with a match against Michigan at 11:00 a.m.

The 69th-ranked Paladins will be one of three South Carolina teams at the Clemson regional, which features Furman, Winthrop, Michigan, and host team Clemson.

#69 Furman (19-5) will face #19 Michigan (18-5) on Friday, May 9 at Clemson University. The two teams have never met before.

Furman earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with a 4-0 victory over Davidson in the Southern Conference tournament finals. Michigan earned an at-large bid, after falling to top-seeded Northwestern in the Big Ten conference title match. The Wolverine squad features two ranked singles players, and one ranked doubles team. Junior Chisako Sugiyama is ranked 50th in the most recent ITA poll, while teammate Tania Mahtani has earned a 112th-place ranking. The duo also ranks 40th in the doubles poll. For Furman, junior Laura Gioia is ranked 86th in the latest ITA singles poll. 2008 marks the women's tennis team's fifth straight NCAA tournament appearance and ninth overall. The Paladins have won 16 Southern Conference Tournament Championships.

NCAA Tournament Notes