Men's Tennis Ranks Third in NCAA Atlantic Region; Matches Against West Virginia Wesleyan at Fairmont State

INDIANAPOLIS – The Thomas Jefferson University men's tennis team was put at third in the Atlantic Region and will head to Fairmont State, West Virginia to compete in the NCAA Tournament. The Rams will take on West Virginia Wesleyan College on Monday, May 11 at 2 p.m. 

The Rams (16-6) make their fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and ninth overall, with this being the first time the team has appeared in the Atlantic Region bracket. Jefferson has won their fifth straight conference title in a row, with this being their first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship after winning the CACC title four straight seasons. The Rams went undefeated in conference play before winning the PSAC title.  

The Bobcats (14-8) were put as the sixth seed as they earned an at-large bid. West Virginia Wesleyan is currently ranked 42nd in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings. West Virginia Wesleyan was the third seed in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) where they fell to host institute Fairmont State University 4-0. The Rams took on the Bobcats earlier this season, where Jefferson won 4-3 on April 18. 

The winner between Jefferson and West Virginia Wesleyan will go against the winner of Bloomsburg University and Fairmont State University. The Huskies (6-6) make their second straight NCAA appearance and 21st overall as an at-large in the PSAC. Bloomsburg made the PSAC semifinals as the fourth seed. The Rams and Huskies competed twice against one another with Jefferson taking both contests. The first was on April 24 in the regular season finale with the Rams winning 6-1. Jefferson and Bloomsburg went against one another a week later in the PSAC Tournament, with the Rams getting the win 4-0. 

The Falcons (17-4) had the other at-large bid after falling in the MEC Championship game to top-seed Charleston (W.Va.) 4-1. Fairmont State is currently ranked 28th in the nation by the ITA. The Falcons and Rams have not competed against one another this season. Both teams share six similar opponents on the year, with Jefferson having a 6-0 record while Fairmont State is 6-1. The Falcons make their fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. 

All four teams will look to earn the victory in the bracket and advance to Surprise, Arizona for the Round of 16 to compete for the NCAA Championship from Wednesday, May 20 to Sunday, May 24.