Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Tennis Teams Earn NCAA Berths
5/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 3, 2001
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's and women's tennis teams have both earned berths in the 2001 NCAA Championships, as announced by the NCAA this afternoon. The men's team is heading to the tournament for the first time in three seasons, and has earned just the second men's NCAA bid in school history. The women's team, which has earned a bid every year since 1994, is making its eighth overall appearance.
The men's and women's brackets are both comprised of 64-team fields, which are divided among sixteen regional sites for first- and second-round action on May 11-12. The sixteen regional winners will then advance to the NCAA team championships, which take place at Athens, Ga. (men) and Stone Mountain, Ga. (women) from May 17-22.
The Deacon men's team, ranked 47th nationally, will travel to Provo, Utah, for a first-round matchup with 20th-ranked Fresno State on May 11. The winner of that match will face No. 16 California or host BYU, ranked 67th, in second-round action the next day.
The 2000-01 men's team, 14-10 on the season, advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament after finishing fifth in the ACC regular season standings with a 5-3 mark. Head coach Jeff Zinn is making his third NCAA appearance, as he took Arkansas-Little Rock to the tournament in 1995 and '96, and also led Wake Forest to its first NCAA berth in 1998.
The women's team will travel to Stillwater, Okla. to take on 62nd-ranked Illinois State in NCAA first-round action on May 12. The winner will face either Oral Roberts or host Oklahoma State, ranked 15th nationally, in a second-round match the following day.
The Deacon women are 16-8 on the season and finished second in the ACC with a 7-1 mark. WFU advanced to the finals of the ACC championship for the seventh straight year, and is currently ranked 21st nationally. Head coach Brian Fleishman is making his third NCAA appearance, all with Wake Forest.
Two members of the Wake Forest women's tennis team also received bids to the NCAA singles and doubles championships, which will take place at Stone Mountain, Ga. May 22-25. Junior Janet Bergman (Pinehurst, N.C.) and sophomore Bea Bielik (Valley Stream, N.Y.) both received bids in the 64-member singles bracket. Bielik is currently ranked fourth nationally, while Bergman is 19th in singles. The duo, which plays together as the nation's eighth-ranked doubles team, also received a bid to the 32-team doubles championship.
NCAA Men's Tournament Information
Regionals - Provo, Utah (Brigham Young host)
First Round (May 11): Wake Forest vs. Fresno State, 10 am, California vs. BYU, 2 pm
Second Round (May 12): WFU/Fresno St. winner vs. Cal/BYU winner, 2 pm
Team Championship - Athens, Ga. (Georgia host) May 19-22
NCAA Women's Tournament Information
Regionals - Stillwater, Okla. (Oklahoma State host)
First Round (May 12): Wake Forest vs. Illinois State 10 am, Oral Roberts vs. Oklahoma State, 2pm
Second Round (May 13): WFU/ISU winner vs. Oral Roberts/OSU winner, 12 noon
Team Championship - Stone Mountain, Ga. (Georgia State host) May 17-20
Individual Singles & Doubles Championships - Stone Mountain, Ga. (Georgia State host) May 22-25
WFU Singles Participants: Janet Bergman, Bea Bielik
WFU Doubles Participants: Janet Bergman & Bea Bielik
