The Red Storm will square off with No. 5 Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. on Friday
2019 Men's Tennis Tournament Selection Show
April 30, 2019
After winning its first BIG EAST Men's Tennis Championship since the 2015-16 season, the St. John's men's tennis team will face No. 5 seed Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Charlottesville, Va., on Friday, May 3, at 1 p.m.
The Johnnies (19-5) earned an automatic berth in the tournament after defeating Marquette, 4-3, in the conference title match a week ago today. The Red Storm has won its last 13 matches, seven of which came against BIG EAST competition. The squad is one win shy of reaching 20 wins on the season, a mark that the program hasn’t eclipsed since the 2015-16 season.
At the BIG EAST Tournament in Cayce, S.C., St. John's entered as the No. 1 seed and defeated No. 8 seed Xavier in the quarterfinals, No. 4 seed DePaul in the semifinals, and No. 3 seed Marquette in the final.
Dusan Vukicevic went undefeated for the Johnnies in all three matches in the Palmetto State, none more important than the title-clinching victory on the No. 4 court against the Golden Eagles on April 22. The senior was named the tournament's most outstanding player after rallying from behind to take the final two sets and clinch the Red Storm’s first BIG EAST title in three years.
Virginia enters the NCAA Tournament with a 21-4 mark, including a 10-2 record in ACC play. The Cavaliers are coming off a 4-2 defeat last weekend to Wake Forest in the ACC Championship match. The hosts have enjoyed recent success in the National Tournament, claiming four national titles in a five year span (2013, 2015-17).
Both squads met each other on the University of Virginia campus in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships where the Johnnies fell to the eventual champions, 4-0.
"I think it’s going to be a great experience for our guys to play a top team in the country like Virginia," added Head Coach Dillon Pottish.
“We have nothing to lose. We’re going to prepare, compete, and have some fun like we have all year.”
The first and second round matches will take place from May 3-4 and features a single elimination format. South Carolina and East Tennessee State will join the Johnnies and the Cavaliers in Charlottesville for the first and second rounds.