May 3, 2006

Indianapolis, Ind. - The Wake Forest men's tennis team will face 33rd-ranked Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Championships in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, May 13, at 1:00 p.m. The Demon Deacons received an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships for a sixth straight season and the seventh time in 10 years under head coach Jeff Zinn.

"To reach the NCAAs is always an honor and something we strive for at the beginning of the year," Zinn said. "I'm excited to play such a storied program as the University of Kentucky. They have been a powerhouse in collegiate tennis and it will gauge how far we've come at Wake Forest."

The winner of the Wake Forest-Kentucky match will play the winner of the Virginia-Army match on Sunday, May 14 in Charlottesville at noon.

The Demon Deacons and Wildcats have never met on the tennis courts.

Wake Forest, ranked 28th nationally, enters the NCAA Championships with a 15-10 record. The Deacons went 6-5 in the ACC regular season and advanced the conference tournament semifinals before being ousted by 10th-ranked Miami, 4-3.

The Deacons have reached the round of 32 in two of the past three years, the best showing in program history.

The tournament has a 64-team field and 16 schools will host the first and second rounds at campus sites. The remaining 16 teams will advance to the NCAA Championships in Palo Alto, Calif., hosted by Stanford, beginning May 21.

First Round - Saturday, May 13

Second Round - Sunday, May 14