MOBILE BOUND
5/4/2009 9:30:00 PM | Women's Tennis
KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- The bracket for the 29th Annual NAIA Women's Tennis National Championship has been released, and the NAIA's No. 6-ranked California Baptist University will begin its quest for the national title Wednesday (May 13) against the winner of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and Missouri Valley.
The 24-team tournament is played May 12-16 in Mobile (Ala.) with the 16 unseeded teams playing in the first round Tuesday and the top eight seeds earning byes into Wednesday's second round. All matches begin at 1 p.m. (CST) with the exception of the championship match, which will begin Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Lancers (17-7) are making their second straight national tournament appearance, and could have an interesting rematch with Lindsey Wilson in the second round, should the Blue Raiders advance past the first round. Last year, Lindsey Wilson was seeded No. 3 and defeated the Lancers, 5-0, in the quarterfinals before losing to Fresno Pacific in the semifinals.
CBU, which earned one of eight at-large bids, had won a program-record nine straight matches before falling to Concordia, 5-4, in the regular-season finale last Thursday. It spent the entire season ranked inside the NAIA's Top 10 and its 17 wins is a program-record. The Lancers are one of six GSAC teams in the field, four of which are ranked. Five-time defending national champion Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) is the top seed.
Lindsey Wilson (10-4) has won eight straight matches and was ranked No. 11 in the final poll released Sunday. The Blue Raiders earned an automatic bid by winning the Kentucky Intercollegiate/Mid South National Qualifier, 5-0, over Indiana Southeast.
Missouri Valley was unranked in the final poll but earned an automatic bid by winning the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament. The Lady Vikings (12-4) are making their first-ever national tournament appearance since the program was started in 2003.
To view the entire bracket, click here.
