INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The No. 8-ranked Valdosta State men's tennis team learned Tuesday evening it is the No. 5-seed in the upcoming NCAA South Regional #1, the NCAA announced via webstream on NCAA.com. The NCAA South Regional #1 will be May 9-10, 2022, at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla.
Top-seeded Barry (16-5), who VSU defeated earlier in the season, will battle No. 8-seed Benedict (15-4) in the other matchup on Monday, with the winners playing Tuesday and Tuesday's winner will be one of two teams from the region (South Region #2 winner) to advance to the NCAA Division II National Championship, scheduled for May 17-21, 2022, at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
The South Region #2 pod pits No. 2-seed Embry-Riddle versus No. 7-seed Florida Southern and No. 3-seed Saint Leo versus No. 6-seed Lynn. The South Region #2 will be hosted by ERAU in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The Blazers enter with a 14-6 record overall and went 8-1 in Gulf South Conference play with the only setback being to West Florida. This marks the third time this season the teams have played with UWF winning the first two meetings, including the Gulf South Conference title match Apr. 30, in Montgomery, Ala.
For the GSC title, it marked the 22nd time VSU had met UWF in the conference title match since 1995 as VSU has won 14 times overall and UWF has 13 victories. The Argos enter the regional, ranked No. 11 nationally and boast a 20-6 record.
VSU qualified for its 27th trip to the NCAA postseason in 2022, and is 52-24 all-time with two national titles (2006 & 2011) and three runner-up finishes. This marks the eighth-straight time (no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19) VSU has qualified for the NCAA postseason and the 52 victories are fifth-most in NCAA Division II.
Check back with vstateblazers.com later this week for a preview of the regional and a link to the Regional Championship website.
