LIVE STATS
SEARCY – The Harding men’s tennis team earned its ninth trip to the NCAA II National Tournament, receiving the 10th seed from the South Region. The Bisons will take on West Florida, the No. 7 seed, in Miami, Fla., on Thursday, May 6 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Barry University is the tournament host.
Harding last made the national tournament in 2008, when it lost in the first round to West Florida. The Bisons and Argos last met in the quarterfinals of the Gulf South Conference Tournament on April 17. West Florida won that match 5-0.
Harding enters the tournament 14-7 overall. West Florida is 11-10.
Harding’s singles lineup will include sophomore Henrique Ruiz (No. 1), senior Marco Ruiz (No. 2), junior Chris Beach (No. 3), junior Ivan Michelli (No. 4), freshman Adam Edwards (No. 5) and freshman Helio Hashimoto (No. 6).
The Bisons’ doubles lineup will be Ruiz/Ruiz (No. 1), Beach/Michelli (No. 2) and Edwards/Hashimoto (No. 3).
A Harding win over West Florida would send the Bisons to a second-round matchup with Barry on Friday, May 7. The regional championship match is Saturday, May 8.