Women's Tennis Ready For Michigan

The Buffaloes, ranked No. 37th nationally are tabbed as the No. 33-48 seed, earned an at-large bid into the tournament after upsetting top-seed Baylor in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. CU has defeated eight nationally-ranked opponents this spring and its 14 wins this season marks the most since 1999.

CU four-year head coach Nicole Kenneally is making her first NCAA Tournament appearance with the Buffs, who are making their first trip since 1999. Colorado is one of a record eight Big 12 women's teams making up the 64-team field. First-time entry Missouri joins Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas A&M.

The Wolverines (13-9) are ranked No. 42 nationally are coming off a quarterfinal loss to eventual Big Ten champion Northwestern at the conference tournament. Michigan has lost its last four of five matches, are making its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and fifth overall. The Wolverines have compiled a 4-4 mark in the national tournament, including a 3-1 record in 1997.

The CU/Michigan match can be viewed Live via the Stanford web page at /sports/w-tennis/scoreboard.html.

The winners of Friday's first round matches will face off on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in second round action. The winner of Saturday's second round match will head to Gainesville, Fla. for the final four rounds of the NCAA Team Championships from May 15-May 18.

Stanford vs. Louisiana-Monroe

Louisiana-Monroe (20-3): The Indians will be making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history when they take on Stanford in the first round. Louisiana-Monroe, which earned an automatic bid by capturing the Southland Conference Tournament, upset top-seeded Texas-San Antonio. The Indians have won 19 of their last 21 matches, will be the region's No. 49-64 seed.

Stanford (20-1): The Cardinal will be in search of their third consecutive NCAA team title, fifth in the last seven years. The 2002 Stanford women's tennis team captured its second straight national championship last May, notching a 4-1 victory over No. 1 Florida (24-2) in the title match. The Cardinal finished 27-1 overall and won their 15th straight Pac-10 title. Stanford won its 12th NCAA Team Championship in the 21-year history of the event. In NCAA match history, the Cardinal are 75-10 since the tournament went to its present format in 1982. Stanford has won 12 of 21 possible NCAA team titles, capturing an unprecedented six consecutive titles from 1986-91.

NCAA Women's Tennis Team Championships 1st and 2nd Rounds

All Times Mountain

Friday, May 9

No. 37 Colorado (14-8) vs. No. 42 Michigan (13-9), 11 a.m.

Louisiana-Monroe (20-3) at No. 1 Stanford (20-1), 3 p.m.

Saturday, May 10

Colorado/Michigan winner vs. UL-Monroe/Stanford winner, 3:30 p.m.