Troy University Athletics
Trojans Earn Spot in National Indoors
6/3/2010 5:00:00 PM | Tennis
SKILLMAN, NJ - The 2010 ITA Kick-Off Weekend draft was held this afternoon for the Division I schools participating in the 2011 Kick-Off Weekend in January. The highest ranked Division I teams (that are not a host site or on the board) will select which of the 15 sites they wish to play at, beginning play January 28.
The Trojans selected 40th overall, and were able to come away with a two seed in the Gainesville bracket. It is a place that is familiar to the Trojans, as they played their opening round match of the NCAA Tournament this past spring in the same city.
"It was hard to pass up a two seed," Troy coach Eric Hayes. "It is just an honor for our kids to have a chance to play against some of the nation's best during the indoor season. This is a tribute to their hard work and their success from last season, they put themselves in this situation to play in this tournament."
The Trojans entered the tournament ranked 55th overall in the nation, finishing the year ranked 58th overall at the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament. The team defeated two teams ranked in the top 75 in the nation, USC Upstate and Denver, while facing another in Auburn during the regular season last year.
Troy will face North Carolina State in their opening round match, in a tournament that each team is guaranteed at least two matches in the opening bracket. The opponent is a familiar one to Hayes, as he spent seven seasons in Raleigh as the head coach of North Carolina State. His most successful season, his team finished 14 victories in 1999 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament with a national ranking of 49.
The 15 schools that win both of their matches at these events will be invited to play in the Feb. 18-21 ITA National Team Indoor Championship at the University of Washington.
Below are capsules from each team participating in the Gainesville bracket, as well as the entire field for the indoor tournament.
TEAM CAPSULES
University of Florida: The Gators made it through to the Round of 16 in this past season's NCAA Outdoor Championships, before falling to the University of Georgia. Florida (21-5) reached 21 wins for the ninth time in program history even though two matches in which UF led were rained out. UF's five losses this season are also tied for the team's second-fewest since 1979 (four in 2000, five in 2003). From an individual standpoint, the Gators produced two All-American and All-SEC performers in Alexandre Lacroix and Antoine Benneteau. Lacroix spent the bulk of the season in the top 10 nationally in both singles and doubles alongside Benneteau. UF also boasted two SEC All-Freshman Team competitors in Sekou Bangoura, Jr. and Bob Van Overbeek, who combined to win five SEC Freshman of the Week honors this year including a conference-best four by Van Overbeek.
Troy: The Trojans concluded their most successful season in school history in the Spring. The Trojans finished with the most wins in school history (20), the first conference championship in the Sun Belt, their first national ranking in eight years and their first trip to the NCAA Tournament. Troy (20-5) lost all five matches to teams that were included in the NCAA Tournament a season ago, en route to play at Florida in the opening round against Auburn. The Trojans placed two players on the Sun Belt All-Conference Team in Mario Rolemberg and Luis Henrique Grangeiro in doubles, with Grangeiro earning a nod in singles competition as well. The team returns three of their top singles players and four of their doubles players from last season, including Grangerio and Rolemberg (named Sun Belt Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player).
North Carolina State: The Wolfpack finished the season ranked 51st in the final regular season poll, but missed the NCAA Tournament as the cut-off was at 44. North Carolina State finished the year with a record of 15-12, falling to the University of Miami in the ACC Tournament first round. Jaime Pulgar returns for the Wolfpack as their top player, finishing as an All-ACC performer his sophomore season and being selected as an alternate to the NCAA Tournament.
UC-Santa Barbara: The Gauchos finished the regular season ranked 73rd overall, missing out on the NCAA Tournament. The Gauchos had Several male tennis players earned All-Big West honors when the team was announced on Tuesday. In all, seven Gauchos received recognition from the Big West for their outstanding play. Alex Konigsfeldt and Benjamin Recknagel were both named First Team All-Big West for singles. UC Santa Barbara was one of only three schools to have multiple players named to the singles First Team. Konigsfeldt finished the season with a 10-13 record in dual matches. Playing primarily in the number one spot, Konigsfeldt led the way for the Gauchos and finished strong with wins in both of his matches in the Big West Tournament. Recknagel finished with a dual match record of 18-6. He led UCSB in overall wins with a record of 21-9, including a win in the final round of the Big West Tournament. A pair of Gauchos singles players earned Second Team All Big-West honors as well. Lucas Sudow, 16-6 in dual matches, and Philip Therp, 4-12 in dual matches, made UCSB the only school to have multiple players selected to both the First Team and Second Team for singles. Mathieu Forget rounded out the singles honorees. His 11-9 record in dual matches earned him Honorable Mention. UCSB tied Irvine with five players receiving recognition for their singles play.
| 1. USC 2. BYU 3. Indiana 4. San Diego State |
1. Tennessee 2. USC Upstate 3. Clemson 4. San Diego |
1. Virginia 2. Binghamton 3. East Tennessee State 4. Cornell |
1. Texas 2. Rice 3. Alabama 4. Hawaii |
| 1. Ohio State 2. UC-Irvine 3. South Carolina 4. William & Mary |
1. UCLA 2. Fresno State 3. Florida State 4. Minnesota |
1. Florida 2. Troy 3. North Carolina State 4. UC Santa Barbara |
1. Stanford 2. Vanderbilt 3. Nebraska 4. Santa Clara |
| 1. Texas A&M 2. Arizona 3. Miami (FL) 4. Mississippi State |
1. Georgia 2. North Carolina 3. Georgia Tech 4. Oklahoma State |
1. Kentucky 2. Wake Forest 3. Wisconsin 4. Boise State |
1. Louisville 2. Mississippi 3. Tulsa 4. Columbia |
| 1. Duke 2. Pepperdine 3. Virginia Tech 4. Michigan |
1. Texas Tech 2. California 3. Auburn 4. LSU |
1. Illinois 2. Oklahoma 3. Notre Dame 4. Denver |