Wake Forest Athletics
Women's Tennis In NCAA Tournament
5/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 5, 2004
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's tennis team received a bid for the 2004 NCAA Tournament and will travel to Clemson for the first and second-round regional action May 14-16, as announced by the NCAA this evening.
The Demon Deacons will face SEC foe South Carolina in first-round action. Clemson and Troy State, the other two teams competing in the regional, will face in the other first-round match. The winners of those first-round matches will face each other. The teams that advance out of the 16 regionals held across the country will then head to Athens, Ga. for the NCAA Team Championships, May 20-23.
Wake Forest and the Gamecocks will face off on Saturday, May 16 at 11:00 a.m at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center. The Tigers, the tournament's fifth seed, and Troy State will follow at 3:00 p.m. Saturday's winners will play in the second round of the tournament on Sunday, May 16 in a 1:00 p.m. match.
"We are so happy to get back to the NCAA Tournament," said Head Coach Brian Fleishman, who is making his fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in six years at the helm of the Deacon program. "Last season was such a difficult season for everyone involved. I could not be more proud of our team. I think this directly speaks to the girls' determination, character and desire to get this program back to the NCAA Tournament."
The Gamecocks finished the 2004 regular season at 13-9 overall and 5-6 in the SEC. South Carolina earned the eighth-seed for the SEC Tournament and was defeated by ninth-seeded Ole Miss, 4-3. Danielle Wiggins leads the Gamecocks after being named Second Team All-SEC. Wiggins is ranked 30th in the country and has posted a 14-6 record in dual matches and a 20-10 overall record. The 14 wins this season leads the team in dual matches playing all of her matches at the number one singles position. Six of her 14 wins came against players that were nationally ranked.
2004 NCAA Women's Tournament Information
Regional - Clemson, S.C. (Clemson host)
Saturday, May 15 - First Round: Wake Forest vs. South Carolina, 11:00 am; (5) Clemson vs. Troy State, 3:00 pm
Sunday, May 16 - Second Round: Wake Forest/ South Carolina winner vs. Clemson/ Troy State winner, 1:00 pm
Team Championship - Athens, Ga. (University of Georgia host)
May 20-23
Sixteen regional winners advance to Championships
Noteworthy
* This is the WFU women's tennis team's 10th berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Deacs had reached the NCAA Tournament nine straight times before missing last season.
* 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, UNC and Clemson are serving as regional hosts.
