ETSU looks to clinch program's third NCAA Championship victory

BLACKSBURG, Va. (May 7, 2015) - Competing in the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship for a ninth-consecutive year, ETSU will go toe-to-toe with No. 15 Virginia Tech Friday, May 8 at 2:00 p.m., on the Hokies' home turf in Blacksburg, Va.

The Buccaneers (17-7) will enter Friday's contest riding a 13-match win streak.

TOURNAMENT INFO

ETSU vs. Virginia Tech will be the second match of the day at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center, with Boise State vs. South Florida taking place beforehand at 11:00 a.m. The winners of the two matches will meet Saturday, May 9 at 1:00 p.m., in Blacksburg.

Tickets for Friday's matches will range from $3-5, cash-only. Parking will be available in two lots near the tennis facility.

For directions to Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center in Blacksburg, click here.

Live scoring and video of Friday's matches can be found, via HokiesSports.com, by clicking here.

Click here to view an interactive bracket of the 2015 NCAA D-I Men's Tennis Championship.

Additional coverage of ETSU's matches will be provided via Twitter @ETSUMensTennis.

GETTING UP TO SPEED

The Bucs (17-7) finished the season with 13 consecutive wins en route to winning the program's ninth-straight conference tournament championship, securing an automatic berth to the national tournament for a ninth-straight year.

ETSU, one of just three teams representing the state of Tennessee in the tournament (Vanderbilt, Tennessee), has posted a 16-1 record since Feb. 14, with the lone setback coming on the road to No. 5 Georgia.

Three ETSU players are in the midst of win streaks spanning nine matches or longer, including Southern Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Year, David Biosca (Sant Fruitos de Bage, Spain).

Biosca and co-captain Ismael Merino (Lima, Peru), who are each riding team-best 10-match singles win streaks, have not suffered setbacks since March 19 at No. 5 Georgia. Meanwhile, co-captain Rogerio Ribeiro (Sao Paulo, Brazil) has won nine-consecutive singles matches.

Rogerio and Biosca have teamed up to win seven-straight matches in doubles play.

ETSU has secured the doubles point in each of its last 11 matches—all wins.

The Bucs have twice earned first-round wins in the NCAA Championship, beating No. 26 Notre Dame in 2008, and No. 32 Alabama in 2010.

OPPONENT AT A GLANCE

The Hokies (19-4) have won seven of their last nine matches, including ranked victories versus No. 14 North Carolina, No. 23 Louisville, No. 32 Florida State, and No. 37 NC State.

Virginia Tech saw its four-match win streak snapped Friday, April 24, as No. 42 Georgia Tech upset the Hokies, 4-3, in the ACC quarterfinals.

The Hokies' lineup features four players ranked in the ITA Men's National Singles Rankings, including its No. 1 and No. 2 players, Amerigo Contini (No. 68) and Andreas Bjerrehus (No. 43). Contini and Bjerrehus have posted spring singles records of 13-6 and 16-6, respectively.

Bjerrehus and Hunter Koontz have teamed up to tally a 6-3 spring doubles record and are currently ranked 39th by the ITA.

ETSU will be looking to become the first team this season to defeat the Hokies in Blacksburg.

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