Championship Central | Bracket:
Men |
Women
INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference announced Saturday evening that Drury University, the University of Indianapolis, and Lewis University have earned the top divisional seeds for the upcoming 2016 GLVC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championship Tournaments, which will be hosted by Lewis, April 29-May 1, in Romeoville, Illinois.
On the men’s side, UIndy defeated the University of Southern Indiana 5-4 on Saturday to secure the East Division crown and the No. 1 seed within the division, while Drury garnered the outright West crown and the No. 1 seed with a perfect 5-0 divisional record.
As for the women, Lewis posted the No. 1 East seed and the divisional title following a 6-0 record in conference play. Drury also notched the top seed as the West’s divisional champion with a 6-0 mark.
The 2016 event marks the 38th annual edition for the men and 36th for the women. The tournament will be contested at three locations, including the main venue at the Jack Oremus Tennis Complex on the Flyers’ campus. Nearby Romeoville High School and Plainfield East High School, located 10 miles from Lewis, will each see tournament action.
The top four teams based on the highest divisional winning percentage from each of the GLVC's two divisions earned a spot in the two eight-team tournaments. Both events are single elimination with the championship match conducted on Sunday.
On the men's side, the top-seeded Greyhounds (14-2, 6-0 GLVC) from the East will battle Quincy (6-10, 2-3), the No. 4 seed in the West, in the quarterfinals for the second-straight season. The Hounds defeated the Hawks 5-0 last year and will now do battle in the rematch at 9 a.m. CT on Friday at Plainfield East High School. The winner of that match will face the winner of West No. 2 seed University of Missouri-St. Louis (16-4, 4-1) and East No. 3 Lewis (12-8, 4-2) – two teams set to face off Friday at 9 a.m. at Romeoville High School.
The bottom half of the bracket includes top-seeded Drury (11-7, 5-0) out of the West against East No. 4 seed McKendree University (13-11, 3-3). The Panthers, who claimed their seventh GLVC title last year with a 5-4 victory over Indianapolis, will open tournament play against the Bearcats on Friday at 9 a.m. at Lewis. The last men’s quarterfinal will feature East No. 2 seed Southern Indiana (15-4, 5-1) against West No. 3 Rockhurst University (9-7, 3-2) at 9 a.m. on the other six courts at Plainfield East.
Bellarmine holds the most men's crowns with eight, and last won the title in 1996. Drury, Indianapolis and Southern Indiana follow with seven titles apiece. Former league member Northern Kentucky has five titles, while Rockhurst (2) and former league member SIU Edwardsville (2) are the only other schools to have earned a GLVC Men's Tennis Championship.
On the women's side, the East's top-seed Lewis (15-4, 6-0 GLVC) faces the No. 4 seed in the West, Maryville University (7-9, 3-3), at the Jack Oremus Tennis Complex at 12 p.m. on Friday. The winner of that matchup will face the winner of West No. 2 Rockhurst (12-5, 5-1) and East No. 3 Bellarmine (11-8, 4-2), which will take place Friday at 12 p.m. at Plainfield East.
West No. 1 seed Drury (16-2, 6-0) will battle East No. 4 seed Southern Indiana (7-12, 3-3) Friday at 12 p.m. at Romeoville High School. The final women’s quarterfinal features East No. 2 Indianapolis (12-6, 5-1) against West No. 3 Missouri-St. Louis (17-7, 4-2). That contest takes place Friday at 12 p.m. at Plainfield East.
UIndy has claimed a league-best nine women's tennis titles with the last coming one year ago in a 5-2 victory over Drury, which follows with seven overall titles. Former league member Northern Kentucky and Saint Joseph's both have won the third-most titles with six each, while Bellarmine, Lewis and former league member SIU Edwardsville have all recorded one Conference championship in the past.
Semifinal action will be contested at both Lewis and Romeoville High School, while Lewis will host Sunday’s championship matches. The men will hold first serve at 9 a.m., followed by the women’s final at noon.
Admission to the 2016 GLVC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championship Tournament is free at all sites.