Men's Tennis 4/29/2019 9:31:00 PM MSU Athletic Communications

Bears to face Wake Forest in NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships on Friday

Men's Tennis 4/29/2019 9:31:00 PM MSU Athletic Communications

Bears to face Wake Forest in NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships on Friday

DI Men's Tennis: 2019 Selection Show | NCAA Championship Brackets | Watch

BALTIMORE, Md. (April 29, 2019) – The Morgan State men's tennis team looks to continue its impressive and historic season on Friday against No. 4 national seed Wake Forest in the Winston-Salem Regional of first round of the NCAA Tennis Championships.

The match will take place at the Wake Forest Tennis Center on Friday at 4 p.m.

The matchup will mark the first time the Bears have made the NCAA Tournament.

Morgan State (14-7) defeated South Carolina State 4-2 this past Saturday to claim the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title for the first time in program history. Matthew Townes was named Outstanding Coach of the tournament, while First Team All-MEAC selection was also named Outstanding Performer.

Wake Forest (29-3) is the reigning ACC champion after defeating Virginia 4-2 on April 21. The Demon Deacons are 29-3 and boast three Al-ACC performers -- Petros Chrysochos and Borna Gojo were named First Team All-ACC, while Bar Botzer earned Second Team honors.

It is Wake Forest's seventh consecutive NCAA Championship berth and 19th in program history. The Demon Deacs are regional hosts for the fifth year in a row and sixth overall.

Morgan State head coach Matthew Townes said the team is looking forward to the opportunity.

"This is a great opportunity to showcase who we are as a growing program," said Townes. "We look forward to playing the defending champs on their home courts."

The Bears head into the matchup just as confident.

"We have nothing to lose," said senior leader Arjun Ramakrishnan. "We believe in ourselves and have faith in our abilities to make damage no matter what. Whatever it takes!"

"It doesn't matter who we are going to play against," said sophomore Oguzhan Ceylan, an All-MEAC second team selection. "We are going to play like champions and fight until the last point like we did in MEAC, because we're still hungry."

"We are ready to hunt and put on a show for NCAA tournament," said junior Nihit Rawal, who's accolades include being selected to the All-MEAC First Team and was named MEAC Tournament Outstanding Performer.

Sophomore Serhii Kharchev added, " I feel so excited, because it's something big and something new in our lives. We are going to the NCAA Tournament to show who we are."

Sophomore Shrey Gupta said he would remain in the same frame of mind that helped the Bears win the conference title.

"A do or die mindset," said Gupta. "The time during my match I was thinking it's time to make history and do what nobody has done."

"My mindset for the NCAA Tournament is focused on competing more than winning," explained sophomore Sebastian Lopez. "Winning the MEAC Championship was a big accomplishment, but I feel the team can do much more and we want it really bad. So more than being focused on winning, is competing at our highest level knowing that a positive outcome would come from it."

A win Friday will mean another match Saturday on Saturday, May 4, with a spot in the Super Regional round on the line. That match is also slated for a 4 p.m. start.

Tickets to the opening two rounds are $5 each, with one ticket on Friday granting entry to both matches. Tickets may be purchased at the gate beginning one hour prior to the start of play, or ahead of time at godeacs.com/tickets or by calling the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 ext. 1.

Winston-Salem Regional
First Round - Friday, May 3rd
Match 1: Kentucky vs VCU at 1:00 PM
Match 2: Wake Forest vs Morgan State at 4:00 PM

Second Round - Saturday, May 4th
Match 3: Match 1 Winner vs Match 2 Winner at 4:00 PM

MEAC Media Relations Office contributed to this release.

About Morgan
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

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Players Mentioned

Oguzhan Ceylan: 6' 1"; Sophomore

Shrey Gupta: 6' 2"; Sophomore

Serhii Kharchev: 6' 5"; Sophomore

Sebastian Lopez: 6' 1"; Sophomore

Arjun Ramakrishnan: 5' 10"; Senior

Nihit Rawal: 5' 8"; Junior

Players Mentioned

Oguzhan Ceylan
: 6' 1"; Sophomore

Shrey Gupta
: 6' 2"; Sophomore

Serhii Kharchev
: 6' 5"; Sophomore

Sebastian Lopez
: 6' 1"; Sophomore

Arjun Ramakrishnan
: 5' 10"; Senior

Nihit Rawal
: 5' 8"; Junior