NCAA Tennis Championship 2015: Dates, Bracket, Schedule and Preview
There is something magical about the 64-team bracket when it comes to NCAA championships.
While the 2015 NCAA tennis tournament won’t induce the bracket-mania among fans that its basketball counterpart does every March, it replicates the same pressure and win-or-go-home environment that steels eventual champions. Whichever team survives that pressure for six rounds will go home with the trophy.
Here is a look at the format, schedule and more for the 2015 NCAA tennis championship.
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Format
Like basketball, the tennis tournament features 64 teams with 16 first- and second-round sites. The top 16 teams host those first two rounds, and the winner of each site advances to the round of 16 in Waco, Texas.
The actual matches feature three 6-game sets, with one point going to the majority winner. Then six singles matches played for a point each.
Whichever team wins the most points is the victor.
*More information and details on the format can be found here, courtesy of NCAA.com.
Dates, Schedule and Bracket Information
Here is a look at the dates and schedule for the entire NCAA tournament.
*A bracket with every location and matchup can be found here, courtesy of NCAA.com.
| Round of 64 | May 8 |
| Round of 32 | May 9 |
| Third Round | May 14 |
| Quarterfinals | May 16 |
| Semifinals | May 18 |
| Finals | May 19 |
Player to Watch
USC is the defending champion and in the middle of a budding dynasty (national titles in all four seasons from 2009-12 and last year), and Virginia won it all in 2013 and was the runner-up in 2011 and 2012. However, the player to watch in this year’s tournament plays for the Texas Longhorns.
Soren Hess-Olesen made significant strides in his senior season and became the first Longhorn to reach the No. 1 spot in the ITA rankings in 20 years. He reached the singles championship semifinals last year (where he lost to the eventual national champion Marcos Giron of UCLA) and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and won the league’s regular-season championship.
He is a sparkling 28-6 in matches this season and earned his 100th career single victory in the process. While he is no longer No. 1, Hess-Olesen is No. 4 in the ITA singles rankings heading into the championship.
Hess-Olesen credits his mental growth over his career for his progress this season and appears ready to lead the Longhorns to a potential national title.
Hess-Olesen discussed his mind frame, per NCAA.com: “Everybody can hit and practice and play physically. Success in tennis, I think, is about how you handle your emotions. … Losses haunted me. … I'm not scared by losing. I just try to dictate play regardless."
Hess-Olesen and his Longhorn teammates are No. 9 in the country and start their tournament Friday against Navy. If Texas wins that, it faces the victor of the match between California and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The Longhorns are the only nationally ranked team in that foursome, already handled Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in their regular-season matchup April 8 and get to play the first two matches in the Caswell Tennis Center in Austin. It is difficult to envision anyone else from that group reaching Waco, especially with Hess-Olesen leading the way.
If Texas reaches the Sweet 16 portion of the tournament, it will be inside its home state in a conference venue at Baylor. There is something to be said for a comfort level in a pressure-packed environment, and the Longhorns will be familiar with every venue it plays in along the way to a potential title.
Even with Hess-Olesen, Texas is far from the only threat to win the tournament, especially from its own conference.
Oklahoma is the No. 1 seed in the entire field, and the Sooners beat the Longhorns twice this season, including their matchup in the Big 12 men’s tennis championship. Plus, Oklahoma is the defending national runner-up and certainly won’t be intimidated by the moment throughout the tournament.
Baylor is seeded No. 2 in the field and is also a threat to take home the title. The Bears played Oklahoma incredibly tough this season, as Cody Soto of The Baylor Lariat noted:
"Double fault for Rios. Oklahoma defeats Baylor 4-3 after over five and a half hours at the Hurd Tennis Center. Tough loss for sure.
— Cody Soto (@BUCodySoto) April 26, 2015"
The Bears also beat Texas this year.
Then there is USC. The Trojans are ranked No. 7 in the field, but they have the incredible tournament resume on their side. They are battle-tested and have the championship banners to prove it, and they will be a threat to win the title until someone finally knocks them out.
Hess-Olesen may be an individual superstar, but the field is loaded with potential hurdles.
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