National Collegiate Athletic Association

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The NCAA News -- August 30, 1999

Tennis panel studies postseason format

A recommendation for a new regional championships format was the major topic of discussion during the Division II Men's and Women's Tennis Committee's annual meeting July 6-9 at Beaver Creek, Colorado.

The recommendation, which is being forwarded to the Division II Championships Committee, proposes that the men's and women's championships fields be expanded to a maximum of 64 teams each. The men's and women's subcommittees then would select 16 teams by region for both the Division II Men's and Women's Tennis Championships.

The committee voted that the following berths be granted for the men's championships: West -- 2; East -- 3; South -- 6; and Midwest -- 5. Each regional championship would follow either a three- or four-team format, and the winner of the region would advance to the finals site.

The committee also voted that the following berths be granted for the women's championships: West -- 3; East -- 4; South -- 5; and Midwest -- 4. Each regional would consist of either a three- or four-team format.

In another action, the committee voted to request a waiver from the Sunday competition rule. If approved, the semifinals would be played on Sunday and the date formula would change from a Thursday-through-Sunday format to a Friday-through-Monday format. The tennis committee is including in its recommendation the rationale that the Friday-through-Monday format would reduce the number of missed classes, and more teams would require a Saturday-night stay, which would reduce some travel expenses.

Other highlights

Division II Men's and Women's Tennis Committee
July 6-9/Beaver Creek, Colorado

  • Discussed with representatives from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association the concept of fall individual (singles and doubles) championships along with the standard team championships held in the spring. The committee asked the Division II Championships Committee for permission to conduct a survey of Division II tennis coaches regarding the matter.

  • Discussed the feasibility of having the ITA provide computerized rankings for Division II men's and women's tennis teams.

  • Agreed to maintain continuity between the ITA regional committees and the NCAA with an effort to have the same members serving on both committees. The committee also decided that conference commissioners should be contacted before recommending representatives. The committee will add regional advisory committee information to include name, institution, address, phone, fax and e-mail of each member to the annual championships handbook mailing.

  • Recommended that the University of West Florida be the host site of the 2000 and 2001 Division II Men's and Women's Tennis Championships.

  • Agreed to have the team selections of the 2000 championships available on the NCAA Web site and the NCAA Fax-on-Demand System.

  • Reviewed the current scoring system and voted to keep the same nine-point match scoring system and the let rule.