Kansas to face Denver in NCAA Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 18 ranked Kansas women’s tennis team is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year as revealed during the the selection show Tuesday. The Jayhawks (17-5) will face Denver (19-4) Friday, May 11 at 12 p.m., CT in the first round at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, California.
 
With a win over the Pioneers, KU would face the winner of No. 13-seed and host Pepperdine and Idaho. The second-round match would be played Saturday, May 12 at 2 p.m., CT time.
 
“We’ve played them in some form or fashion every year for the last four years,” said head coach Todd Chapman. “We played them a few years ago, back-to-back, home and away. Last year, we were at a fall event with them where we did a scrimmage-type atmosphere as far as how you play it. We definitely are familiar with their team and they’re familiar with us. They’re a spirited team, a feisty team and always compete really hard. We know we will have our hands full as far as the competitor we’re playing.”
 
In the overall series, Denver leads, 4-2, with the most-recent match occurring on March 6, 2016, in Lawrence, which resulted in a 4-3 victory for the Pioneers.
 
“They’re competitive and going to be into the match,” said Chapman. “They play good doubles, typically, and I think they’re just intense. That’s what I like. That’s the type of tennis and competition we like and I think we’re prepared for. We definitely know we’ll get their best and I’m sure they’re confident in their abilities to play us and vice versa. I think we’ll have a very good college tennis match.”
 
This year’s berth marks the program’s 10th trip to the NCAA Tournament. The last time the Jayhawks were awarded three-consecutive berths to the tournament was from 1996-99. 
 
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