ACU begins play at nationals Thursday

Both teams set to take on Northwood (Mich.)

ABILENE -- The ACU men's and women's tennis teams will begin their quests for NCAA Division II national tennis championships Thursday when they each take on Northwood (Mich.) in the first round of the national tournament.

The ACU men (17-13 and ranked 29th in the nation) will take on Northwood (20-2 and ranked ninth in the country) in the first round at 9:30 a.m., while the ACU women (27-5 and ranked 15th) will take on Northwood (18-10 and ranked 16th) at 2:30 p.m.

The ACU women's team is making its eighth straight appearance at the national tournament, while the men are back in the tournament after missing the 2002 tournament.

Both the ACU men's and women's teams rolled to NCAA Division II Central Region championships last weekend at the Eager Tennis Center on the ACU campus.

The women's team handled both Tarleton State (5-1) and Midwestern State (5-0 in final) rather easily. The men's team had to work a little bit harder to earn its bid to the national tournament, beating Rockhurst (Mo.) 5-2 in the semifinals and then squeezing past Midwestern State, 5-4, in the championship match.

The NCAA did neither ACU team any favors in the national tournament draw, however.

If the ACU men win Thursday, they will then have to play the nation's second-ranked team and defending national champion BYU-Hawaii in Friday's quarterfinals. If the ACU women win Thursday, they will also have to play BYU-Hawaii, which is the nation's top-ranked team and defending national champion.

The top match of the day Thursday could be on the women's side where BYU-Hawaii will take on Armstrong Atlantic (Ga.) in the first round in a rematch of last year's national championship match. BYU-Hawaii enters the tournament ranked No. 1 in the nation, while Armstrong Atlantic enters the tournament ranked No. 6.