TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
Gustavus Adolphus College is set to host the 15th annual Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Division III Indoor Championship at the Swanson Tennis Center in St. Peter, Minnesota. Eight of the top 15 teams in NCAA Division III men’s tennis will square off to determine the 2015 ITA National Indoor Champion. Gustavus is serving as host for the 11th time in the tournament’s history. The Swanson Tennis Center was home to the ITA Indoors last in 2013 when Kenyon College took the title.
Washington University of St. Louis, Missouri (No. 5 in the most recent ITA Division III poll) looks to defend its 2014 National Indoor Championship this year as the No. 2 seed entering the tournament. The Bears made it to the finals for the first time in program history last season and defeated Johns Hopkins University 6-3 to claim the 2014 crown.
Joining last year’s champion will be Carnegie Mellon University (No. 9) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Case Western Reserve University (No. 8) of Cleveland, Ohio, Emory University (No. 6) of Atlanta, Georgia, host Gustavus Adolphus College (No. 14) of St. Peter, Minnesota, Johns Hopkins University (No. 7), Kenyon College (No. 12) of Gambier, Ohio, and Trinity University (No. 3) of San Antonio, Texas.
The tournament will begin on Friday morning at 11:30 a.m. with the second-seeded Washington Bears facing the seventh-seeded Kenyon Lords, and the third-seeded Emory Eagles taking on the sixth-seeded Carnegie Mellon Tartans. Later in the day at 5:00 p.m., the top-seeded Trinity Tigers battle the eighth-seeded Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties, and the fourth-seeded Johns Hopkins Blue Jays square off against the fifth-seeded Case Western Reserve Spartans.
Saturday’s schedule has the losers of Friday’s matches playing in consolation matches beginning at 8:30 a.m. The winners of the first round matches will play in the semifinals beginning at 2:00 p.m. later in the afternoon. The fifth and seventh place matches will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night. The third place and championship matches will both begin at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Kenyon College claimed the ITA Indoor Championship the last time the tournament was hosted at Gustavus in 2013.
Many of the top players in NCAA Division III will be taking part in this year’s tournament, including four of the top 10 ranked singles competitors. Top-ranked players in singles include Adam Krull of Trinity (No. 3), Alex Ruderman of Emory (No. 4), Michael Buxbaum of Johns Hopkins (No. 7), and Motasem Al-Houni of Gustavus (No. 8).
In the doubles field, five of the top 10 tandems in the country will be present. Top doubles teams include Jordan Mayer and Aaron Skinner of Trinity (No. 1), Alex Ruderman and Ian Wagner of Emory (No. 5), Motasem Al-Houni and Andres Saenz Hoyo of Gustavus No. 6, Michael Buxbaum and Emerson Walsh of Johns Hopkins (No. 7), and Bryce Beisswanger and Yuvraj Kumar of Carnegie Mellon (No. 10).
LIVE COVERAGE
Gustavus has set up a web site for the 2015 ITA National Indoor Championship. The site will feature live video and live stat links, tournament schedule, box scores, photo galleries, and recaps. Nick Snow of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association will be on site at the Swanson Tennis Center and will once again provide day-by-day coverage of the event. Snow’s recaps and photos will be accessed via www.itatennis.com and the tournament website. The site will be constantly updated throughout the weekend.
New this season, Gustavus will be streaming all six courts for the duration of the tournament. Please follow the link below to access the tournament streaming page where all six live video feeds can be accessed.
A tournament preview will air LIVE at 11:00 a.m. (CST) on Friday, Feb. 20 and will feature interviews with head coaches of the participating teams. A championship preview will air LIVE on Sunday 8:00 a.m. prior to the championship and third place matches set to begin at 9:00 a.m. Those shows can be accessed through the Gustavus Athletics Stretch Internet portal through the link below.
Live stats for all matches will also be provided and can be accessed via the tournament schedule page linked below.