April 29, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - For the fourth time in the last five seasons and the third year in a row, the University of North Carolina men's tennis team has been chosen to host a regional tournament in the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship. The Tar Heels will host a regional Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11 at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center on the University of North Carolina campus. In addition, UNC's No. 1 doubles team of Taylor Fogleman and Chris Kearney earned a bid to the 2008 NCAA Doubles Championships later this month in Tulsa, Okla. as the No. 6 overall seed.

The remaining three teams at Carolina's regional site include Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion South Carolina State, which also made regional trips to Chapel Hill in 2004 and 2006, as well as Arizona State of the Pac-10 Conference and UNC's ACC rival from eight miles away, Duke.

First-round matches will be played at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center on Saturday, May 10 at 10 a.m. (UNC vs. SCSU) and 1 p.m. (ASU vs. Duke). The championship match of the regional will be played on Sunday, May 11 at 1 p.m.

Tickets each day will be priced at $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. Gates will open on Saturday at 9 a.m. and on Sunday at 12 noon.

North Carolina enters the tournament as the No. 12 seed, which is also the position the Tar Heels currently hold in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. Carolina is 19-5 this season. South Carolina State finished 18-3 en route to the MEAC Championship. Arizona State is ranked No. 23 by the ITA and the Sun Devils finished 15-4 with all four losses coming against fellow Pac-10 members. Duke is ranked No. 43 and the Blue Devils finished the regular-season with a 10-13 overall mark.