CLEVELAND, Ohio – After clinching its second straight Horizon League Tournament title last weekend, the Cleveland State men's tennis team has earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, and will take on Ohio State in a First Round contest on Friday, May 3 at 2:00 p.m.
This will be Cleveland State's seventh appearance in the NCAA Championship, and second straight trip for the Vikings. All seven of Cleveland State's NCAA Tournament appearances have come under current head coach Brian Etzkin (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2019).
The Vikings enter the First Round of the NCAA Championship with a 19-7 overall record, including a 10-match win streak heading into Friday's contest. During the regular season, the Vikings posted a perfect 6-0 mark against Horizon League opponents to claim the regular season title, and then picked up a pair of wins over IUPUI and UIC last weekend to capture the 2019 #HLMTEN Tournament Title.
The 2019 championship marked the seventh for Cleveland State, which is tied for the second most in Horizon League history.
Friday's matchup between Cleveland State and Ohio State will be the 13th under head coach Brian Etzkin, and the third meeting between the two teams this season. The Vikings faced the Buckeyes in a doubleheader to open the spring season back in January, with OSU picking up a pair of wins.
Ohio State enters NCAA Tournament play with a 29-2 overall record, and captured their fourth straight Big Ten tournament title last weekend. The Buckeyes will be playing as the No. 1 overall seed in this year's tournament, and stand at 16-0 when playing at home this season.
The other first round matchup in Columbus will be Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt, with the two winners facing each other in a Second Round contest on Saturday, May 4.
