Wake Forest Athletics
Women's Tennis Team Earns Berth in NCAA Tournament
5/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 2, 2002
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's tennis team received a bid for its ninth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament and will host first and second-round regional action on campus May 11-12, as announced by the NCAA this evening.
The Demon Deacons, seeded eighth in the field of 64, will host American University in first-round action on Saturday, May 11 at 3:00 p.m. Clemson and William & Mary, the other two teams competing in Wake Forest's regional, will square off at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The winners of those first-round matches will face each other on Sunday, May 12 at 1:00 p.m. The teams that advance out of the 16 regionals held across the country will then head to Stanford, Calif. for the NCAA Team Championships, May 16-19.
"We are very excited to be hosting and staying on our home courts," said WFU head coach Brian Fleishman, who is making his fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in as many years at the helm of the Deacon program. "We are also excited about the teams in our regional. We feel our chances of advancing to the final site are very good; yet we know we have to take it one match at a time."
All three matches will take place at the "Upper Eight" courts on the Wake Forest campus. Tickets for NCAA Regional are available by calling the WFU ticket office at 336-758-DEAC (3322). Admission prices are $5 for adults, $3 for students and children.
The NCAA also announced its selections for the 64-player Singles Championship and 32-team Doubles Championship this evening. Wake Forest senior Janet Bergman and junior Bea Bielik both received bids to the singles bracket and will compete as a team for the doubles title as well. Bielik is ranked second nationally in singles while Bergman is 20th, and as a duo, they currently check in at No. 2 in the doubles rankings. The Singles and Doubles Championships also take place in Stanford, Calif. from May 20-25. Seedings for both brackets will be announced at a later date.
2002 NCAA Women's Tournament Information
Regional - Winston-Salem, N.C. (Wake Forest host)
First Round (May 11): Clemson vs. William & Mary, 11:00 a.m.; (8) Wake Forest vs. American, 3:00 p.m.
Second Round (May 12): CU/W&M winner vs. WFU/AU winner, 1:00 p.m.
Team Championship - Stanford, Calif. (Stanford Univ. host)
May 16-19
Sixteen regional winners advance to Championships
Individual Singles & Doubles Championships - Stanford, Calif. (Stanford Univ. host)
May 20-25
WFU Singles Participants: Janet Bergman, Bea Bielik
WFU Doubles Participant: Janet Bergman & Bea Bielik
Noteworthy
* This is the WFU women's tennis team's ninth consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament. Since the bracket expanded to 64 teams four years ago, the Deacons have missed the 16-team Championships just once (1999).
* WFU's selection as a host site marks the second time in program history the Deacons have hosted an NCAA Tennis Regional (2000 being the first).
* Wake Forest is one of six ACC teams named to the field of 64 (Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina also received bids). Duke and UNC are also serving as regional hosts.
* Bergman will make her fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA singles championship, while Bielik will make her third straight. Bergman has not advanced past the second round in three previous trips, while Bielik set a new WFU benchmark by advancing to the semifinals last season.
* The doubles tandem of Bergman & Bielik will make their third straight appearance in the NCAA Doubles Championship, after advancing to the quarterfinals the last two seasons.
