May 4, 2005
FORT WORTH, Texas -- The TCU Horned Frog men's tennis team with face 17th-ranked Wake Forest in the first round of NCAA Tournament play in Lubbock, Texas, the NCAA announced Wednesday. The Frogs (8-14) and Demon Deacons (16-6) will square off Saturday, May 14, at 3 p.m. CDT, while host Texas Tech (23-3) and Army (12-9) play an earlier match at noon. It marks TCU's second trip of the year to Lubbock, as the Frogs suffered a 4-3 setback to the Red Raiders on March 27.
TCU is making its 15th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 20th overall. The Purple and White owns a record of 25-19 in the NCAAs and has advanced as far as the national semifinals on three occasions (1989, 1996, 2001). Last year, the Frogs reached the round of 16 after defeating East Tennessee State and Kentucky in Lexington, Ky.
The Horned Frogs hold a 4-0 record against the Demon Deacons in the all-time series. TCU won the last meeting March 11, 1995, by a 7-0 score in College Station, Texas. The two squads have never played one another in the NCAA Tournament.
TCU played one of its toughest schedules in school history this past season. Ten teams currently ranked in the top 25 were opponents for the Frogs in 2005 and five are among the top 10 (Baylor, No. 1; Virginia, No. 2; Florida, No. 3; Duke, No. 8; Pepperdine, No. 9).
Individuals selected for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships will be announced Thursday by 5 p.m. on the NCAA's Web site. The bracket for the 64-person singles and 32-team doubles tourneys will be released Tuesday, May 24. TCU senior Fabrizio Sestini is a candidate for both events thanks to a No. 29 singles ranking and a No. 13 billing in doubles with junior Rafael Abreu.
