Men’s Tennis to Play Illinois in First Round of NCAA Championships

Men's Tennis to Play Illinois in First Round of NCAA Championships

For the second time in program history, the Toledo men's tennis team will be heading to the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships. The Rockets (14-10) will face Illinois (16-9) in the first round of competition on Friday, May 3, in Lexington, Kentucky, at 1 p.m.

The Rockets gathered in the Grogan Room at Savage Arena to watch the NCAA Selection Show on Monday evening and burst into celebration when they saw their name and opponent appear on the screen.

"It's very exciting to know we're one of the top 64 teams in the country," two-time MAC Coach of the Year Al Wermer said. "Our seniors especially deserve this so much. Illinois is a very good team. We lost to them this year, but they're not at home this time. We played them in their house in January but this time we'll see them on a neutral court."

Toledo is back in the NCAA Tournament again after making their first trip ever in 2023. The Rockets lost to Michigan, an experience that Wermer said could help his team this year.

"Last year, we had a happy-to-be-here attitude," Wermer said. "It was hard to get the guys locked in. It seems like we are going to be a lot more hunkered down this year."

Toledo punched an automatic ticket into the big dance by winning the 2024 Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship in an exciting 4-1 victory over Western Michigan on April 21. It was the program's ninth MAC title in history and the second straight for Wermer's squad.

Illinois, which lost to Nebraska in the first round of the 2024 Big Ten Tournament, is making its 27th appearance at the NCAA Tournament in program history.

Toledo and Illinois will meet for the second time this year, with the Rockets falling 4-0 to the Fighting Illini on Jan. 20 in Champaign, Ill. Senior Pawit Sornlaksup won his first set vs. Kenta Miyoshi, who was ranked No. 17 at the time, and was ahead in the second set before the match was ruled unfinished.

A three-time MAC Player of the Year, Sornlaksup has been a force as the Rockets' No.1 singles player for the past three seasons. He was named First-Team All-MAC and a MAC All-Tournament selection for the third straight year after clinching match point to send the Rockets to the NCAA dance. Senior Marko Galic joined Sornlaksup as a first-team selection, while junior Hanamichi Carvajal was picked as Second-Team All-MAC and MAC All-Tournament team in his first year with Wermer's squad.

No. 5 seed Kentucky will host DePaul on Friday following the Toledo-Illinois match. The winners of each match will play in the second round on Saturday, May 4, at 4 p.m.