SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- The 34th-ranked Slippery Rock University women's tennis team will open NCAA Division II national Round of 16 competition at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the NCAA office announced Sunday.
The match will be played at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla., the site of all four of the final rounds of this year's national tournament.
The SRU-St. Cloud State winner will return at 9 a.m. Thursday to face either fourth-ranked Lynn University of Florida (23-3) or No. 12 Abilene Christian University of Texas (25-7) in a national quarterfinal match. Lynn and Abilene Christian will meet in a Round of 16 match at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
National semifinal matches are set for 9 a.m. Friday with the national championship duel set for 9 a.m. Saturday.
The complete list of Round of 16 matchups is as follows:
#2 Barry, Fla. (21-3) vs. unranked Nebraska-Kearney (17-5), 9 a.m.
#1 Armstrong Atlantic, Ga. (29-0) vs. #20 Northeastern State, Okla. (15-4), 9 a.m.
#6 California, Pa. (23-5) vs. #28 Grand Valley State, Mich. (22-8), 9 a.m.
#9 Hawaii Pacific (19-4) vs. #35 Concordia, N.Y. (17-1), 9 a.m.
#4 Lynn, Fla. (23-3) vs. #12 Abilene Christian, Texas (25-7), 10:30 a.m.
#34 Slippery Rock (21-5) vs. #50 St. Cloud State, Minn. (23-6), 10:30 a.m.
#16 Northwood, Mich. (17-1) vs. #44 Queens, N.Y. (21-3), 10:30 a.m.
#3 BYU-Hawaii (29-0) vs. #10 Clayton State, Ga. (18-7)
The Rock is making its third appearance in the NCAA Round of 16 and seeks its first-ever berth in a national quarterfinal. The Green and White lost their Round of 16 match in each of its previous trips to the national event (2003 and 2008).
SRU, which reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive season and also competed in NCAA regional competition for a fourth straight season, earned its Round of 16 berth in convincing fashion last weekend in competition hosted by SRU. The Green and White recorded 5-0 wins over Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference rivals indiana and Bloomsburg on back-to-back days last Friday and Saturday.
Saturday's win was a bit of a vindication for The Rock, who were forced to settle for regional runner-up honors in both 2007 (5-0) and 2009 (5-3) due to losses to Bloomsburg in the finals.
Prior to winning the Atlantic 2 Regional title last weekend, SRU claimed runner-up honors behind sixth-ranked California (Pa.) in both the PSAC-Western Division regular-season and PSAC playoff competitions.
The Rock lineup includes seniors
Laura Handy (Pittsburgh/Upper St. Clair HS),
Jessica Hilborn (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North HS) and
Casey Runyan (Hermitage/Hickory HS); junior
Chelsea Gibson (Saxonburg/Knoch HS), sophomores
Dunja Drmac (Split, Croatia/Long Island City HS) and
Sarah Lynch (Gibsonia/Pine Richland HS) and freshmen
Janelle Krantz (Quarryville/Solanco HS) and
Michelle McCutcheon (Franklin/Rocky Grove HS).
Rock Head Coach
Matt Meredith, in his 12th season at the helm , sends Handy and Drmac out for No. 1 doubles matches, Gibson and Hilborn for #2 doubles matches and Lynch and Krantz for #3 doubles matches.
The duo of Handy and Drmac have compiled a 20-3 record in regular-season action this season, the Gibson-Hilborn duo had a 10-11 record and the Lynch-Krantz tandem had a 15-3 record.
The Rock's singles lineup features Handy at #1, Lynch at #2, Drmac at #3, Gibson at #4, Hilborn at #5 and Runyan at #6.
Handy, who was selected last week as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Atlantic Regional "Senior Player of the Year," compiled an 18-7 record in regular-season singles matches this season. Lynch owned a sparkling 18-1 record, Drmac was 19-4, Gibson 11-9, Hilborn 12-9 and Runyan 16-5.
Handy and Lynch were both named as All-PSAC-West performers as singles players this season, while the Handy-Drmac doubldes duo also garnered all-conference honors.
Handy ranks third on SRU's career wins chart with a 167-57 record in four Rock seasons.