Alcorn State Lady Braves Prepare for NCAA Tennis Playoffs

ALCORN STATE, Miss. - The Alcorn State University Women's tennis will definitely make history by becoming the first team from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to participate in the NCAA tournament. The tournament will take place on the weekend of May 13-14 at the Currey Tennis Center on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Lady Braves first round opponent will be the host school Vanderbilt Commodores at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The first match of the day will feature Texas Christian University against Virginia Commonwealth at 10 a.m.Alcorn State enter this tournament with a 16-7 overall record under the guidance of third year head coach Tony Dogden who earned SWAC coach of the year honors for the first time with the women.

The Commodores finished the 2000 season with a 20-5 overall record. The team is currently ranked eleventh in the nation according to the International Tennis Association.

The team also made history by winning both the school's first ever Southwestern Athletic Conference title and an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

The Lady Braves road to the SWAC title was a rough one in which they were the number two seed in the tournament. The tournament was held at the Olean B. Underwood Tennis Center in Montgomery, Alabama on the weekend of April 20-22, 2000.

In the first round of the tournament, the Lady Braves defeated Mississippi Valley State 5-0. In the semifinal match, the team beat Jackson State 5-0 to advance to the championship match.

In the championship match, Alcorn State beat last year's champion and tournament host Alabama State in a hard fought match by a score of 5-2.

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