No. 24 Red Raiders Headed to Palo Alto NCAA Regional
Men’s tennis secures third tournament berth in four years under head coach Brett Masi
LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 24 Texas Tech men’s tennis team is heading to Palo Alto, Calif. to square off with UC Santa Barbara from the Big West conference on Friday at 1 p.m. CT to open up the regional round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Red Raiders (15-11) captured an at-large bid and are one of six representatives of the Big 12 Conference in this year’s tournament. Tech is the lone Big 12 team in the Palo Alto regional, as every team in the conference punched a postseason ticket.
The Palo Alto regional will also feature a first round matchup between No. 12 Stanford and Fresno State. The winners of Friday’s matches will square off on Saturday afternoon for a spot in the third round.
“We’re excited to play in Palo Alto,” head coach Brett Masi said. “UC Santa Barbara will be a tough test for us in the opening round. We’re going to have to play our best tennis. The guys have been practicing hard, but none of the players have advanced to the third round of play, so the team is hungry and ready to compete.
Friday’s matchup will be the first between the Red Raiders and the Gauchos since the first round of the NCAA Championships in 2015, where Tech advanced to the second round with a decisive 4-2 victory over UCSB.
The Red Raiders will look to build upon a regular successful season, where they recorded 15 wins, including five against ranked foes. Tech will also be seeking a first round victory for the first time since 2016, when they swept New Mexico State, 4-0, to advance to the second round.
The Red Raiders will boast an experienced lineup in postseason play. Of the 11 players on the roster, seven have competed in the NCAA Tournament. Should the recent doubles lineup hold, all six individuals will have competed in at least one round of team play. Freshman Franco Ribero, who touts a 15-7 record this spring, will be seeing the first NCAA Tournament action of his young career.
Fans are encouraged to follow along with live video and live scoring at the following link.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men’s tennis program. Fans are also encouraged to follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/techmenstennis and @TexasTechMTEN on Twitter and Instagram.
2019 NCAA Palo Alto Regional
Friday, May 3
Match 1: Texas Tech vs. UC Santa Barbara – 1 p.m. CT
Match 2: No. 12 Stanford vs. Fresno State – 4 p.m. CT
Saturday, May 4
Match 3: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner – 5 p.m. CT
–TECH—
Preston Jordan
