Courtesy of Ferris State Athletic Communications
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Ferris State University men's tennis team advanced into the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year as the Bulldogs topped Chowan (N.C.) by a 5-0 score on Tuesday (May 9) in the round of 16 at the NCAA Division II Championships at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
The nationally 16th-ranked Bulldogs made quick work of the 41st-ranked Hawks as FSU swept the doubles round and won the first two completed singles flights to move on in the national tournament.
FSU, which reached the NCAA Final Four last season, will next face #23 Southwest Baptist (Mo.) on Wednesday (May 10) starting at 4 p.m. (ET) with a return trip to the national semifinals on the line.
In Tuesday's Sweet Sixteen match, the Bulldogs got off to a fast start as the tandem of Vasil Surduk and Nur Adim Ramdani Iswan teamed up for an 8-2 triumph at two doubles. FSU's Robert Camplin and Raleigh Grossbaum then won 8-3 at three doubles with Till Von Winning and Steward Sell recording an 8-4 victory at the top flight to give the Bulldogs an early 3-0 edge.
Ferris State continued its stellar play in singles action with freshman Pablo Munoz Baroja recording a 6-0, 6-0 win at six singles. Surduk then clinched the match by winning 6-4, 6-1 at the second flight to lift the Bulldogs to the win.
Along with the five points the Bulldogs captured, FSU also won the first set in the other four singles flights that went unfinished.
With the win, Ferris State improved to 20-2 overall this season and the Bulldogs have now won 14 matches in a row this year. Chowan had its season come to an end with a 16-8 overall record.
The Bulldogs punched their ticket to Florida by capturing one of two Midwest Regional bracket titles with a decisive 5-1 victory over West Michigan rival Grand Valley State (April 30) at the FSU Racquet and Fitness Center in Big Rapids. The regional crown was the Bulldogs' second-straight.
Ferris State, which is making its 21st all-time NCAA Tournament bid, took part in the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in school history. Last year's Sweet Sixteen showing was the Bulldogs' first since 2005. Prior to last year, FSU had not advanced to the Elite Eight since 2004. The Bulldogs' national semifinal finish last year was the program's best in school history, topping the fifth-place national showing in 1988.
Along with capturing the regional title, the Bulldogs also won the GLIAC Regular-Season Championship for the third-straight campaign this year and won the league's postseason tournament for the second year in a row.
The 2016 and 2017 campaigns represent the only times in which FSU has won both the GLIAC Regular-Season & Tournament Championships in the same year since the tournament moved to its current dual team format.
The winner of Wednesday's Elite Eight match will advance to the national semifinals on Thursday. The national championship match is on Friday in Altamonte Springs.
Complete Match Results Can Be Found At This Link:
FSU vs Chowan Boxscore
