April 26, 2007

Indianapolis, Ind. -

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The 2007 NCAA Division II Men's Tennis bracket of 62 teams was released Wednesday and Wayne State earned its first bid in two years and will be the Warriors' fifth appearance in the last six years. Wayne State (10-9) will play a common opponent: Mercyhurst (13-5), with the winner facing the winner of #2 Drury (20-2) and West Liberty State (13-4). The meeting with the Lakers will be the third time this season.

The season series against Mercyhurst is 1-1. The Lakers defeated the Warriors in Erie on April 14, 5-4, but WSU was victorious over MC in the third-place match of the GLIAC Tournament in Midland on April 22, 5-2.

Wayne State's history in the NCAAs in this decade is as follows:

2004-05: Defeated Mercyhurst, 5-4, lost at Northwood, 5-1
2003-04: Defeated Lake Superior, 5-2, lost at Ferris State, 5-0
2002-03: Defeated Missouri-St. Louis, 5-0, lost at Ferris State, 5-2
2001-02: Defeated Missouri-St. Louis, 5-2, lost at Ferris State, 5-3

The Warriors boast Alejandro Gomez (Comitan Chiapas, Mexico), who is 15-3 on the season, and is unbeaten in his last nine matches (one was unfinished) and 13 of his last 15 (13-1, with one match unfinished). WSU also have three other players with double-digit wins: Ryan Buck (Shelby Twp., Mich./Utica), 11-7), Kevin Turnbull (Shelby Twp., Mich./Warren DeLaSalle), 11-5, and Donavon Mitchell (Detroit, Mich./Mumford), 10-8.

Wayne State and Mercyhurst have played six common opponents: Northwood, Lake Superior, Michigan Tech, Ferris State, Grand Valley and Findlay. The Warriors are 4-4 while the Lakers are 5-3.

In the latest ITA Great Lakes Region poll, released on April 27, the Warriors jumped five spaces to fourth place, one spot ahead of their opponent this weekend, Mercyhurst, and behind Grand Valley (third), Northwood (second) and Drury (first).