Tulsa Men's Tennis Team Earns NCAA Tournament Bid
5/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
May 2, 2002
Tulsa, Oklahoma - The University of Tulsa men's tennis team has been selected to participate in the 2002 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship as bids were announced on Thursday. The 42nd-ranked Golden Hurricane will also serve as one of the host institutions for the first and second rounds.
Tulsa, the 2002 Western Athletic Conference runner-up and with an overall record of 16-11, will play 24th-ranked Arkansas (14-9) in the first match on Saturday, May 11, 2002. The other regional contest will pit 11th-ranked Southern California (19-5) against Oral Roberts in the second match on Saturday. The winners will meet on Sunday, May 12. All matches will be played at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center at The University of Tulsa. Match times have not been set.
The regional winner will advance to play at the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship, May 18-27, in College Station, Texas. The event is the oldest championship recognized by the NCAA as it dates to 1883.
The Golden Hurricane will be making its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance over the past eight seasons. Leading the way for the Hurricane is a trio of seniors, including Pawel Sebastyanski, Shriranga Sudhakara and Dane McGregor. An all-WAC singles first team selection in 2001-02 and ranked 90th nationally, Sebastyanski is TU's top singles player. With a 27-9 overall record, Sudhakara and McGregor were first team all-WAC doubles team performers this past season are currently ranked No. 17 in the latest ITA rankings.
In addition, Sebastyanski was selected to participate in the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Singles Championship, while Sudhakara and McGregor were chosen to play in the NCAA Men's Doubles Championships.
On the women's side, junior Alicia Pillay was selected to participate in the 2002 NCAA Division I Women's Singles Championships, May 20-25 in Palo Alto, Calif. In her first season at TU, Pillay posted a 30-10 singles record at the top spot in the lineup and a 17-9 doubles mark with teammate Jana Sedivec at No. 1 doubles. She is currently ranked No. 79 in singles and No. 51 in doubles with Sedivec. Pillay is making her first NCAA Tournament appearance and is just the third Hurricane women's player to play in the postseason classic.
