May 3, 2000
NKU MEETS TRUMAN STATE IN NCAAs
Norse (13-3) play Truman State (18-2) in opening round on Friday
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s tennis team will meet Truman State University in the first round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament this Friday (May 5) at Edmond, Okla.
NKU enters the NCAA Tournament with a 13-3 record and is the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Regional, which will be held at the University of Central Oklahoma. Truman State owns an 18-2 record and is the No. 2 seed.
Eastern New Mexico University is 12-3 and is the No. 1 seed. Central Oklahoma (9-9) is the No. 4 seed and will face Eastern New Mexico in the first round on Friday.
The NKU-Truman State winner will face the survivor of the Eastern New Mexico-Central Oklahoma match on Saturday, May 6. The winner of that match will advance to the NCAA Division II finals in Pensacola, Fla., May 11-14.
A total of 16 teams (the winners of the 16 regional tournaments across the nation) advance to the NCAA Division II finals, which will be hosted by the University of West Florida.
COMMON OPPONENT: NKU and Truman State have just one common opponent, that being Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. NKU defeated SIUE twice in the fall, 8-1 during the regular season at Edwardsville, Ill., and 5-2 during the GLVC Tournament at Indianapolis, Ind.
Truman State defeated SIUE this spring by a 5-2 score.
ABOUT NKU: NKU won its second consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference championship during the fall. NKU is making its second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
A year ago, NKU lost to the University of Northern Colorado, 5-0, in the first round of the Midwest Regional at Topeka, Kan. That was NKU’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament in women’s tennis.
NKU enters this year’s NCAA Tournament led by sophomore Jamie O’Hara, who earned her second straight GLVC Player of the Year honor in the fall. O’Hara, a native of Paducah, Ky., owns a 13-1 overall record this season at No. 1 singles.
Sophomore Lauren Spears owns an 11-3 overall record at No. 2 singles, and she earned All-GLVC honors in the fall. Junior Joceline McQueen is 9-4 at No. 3 singles, and sophomore Amity Chapman is 11-3 at No. 4 singles. Chapman and junior Claudia Ruehl (9-2 at No. 5 singles) also earned All-GLVC honors in the fall. Also in the Norse lineup is sophomore Christina Dausch, who owns an 8-2 record at No. 6 singles.
PERFECT AGAINST DIVISION II: NKU is unbeaten (13-0) against Division II competition this season. All three losses - twice to Wright State University, once to the University of Dayton - have been to Division I programs.
NCAA II MIDWEST REGIONAL
Edmond, Okla. (May 5-6)
Friday, May 5 (1st Round)
#3 Northern Kentucky vs. #2 Truman State
#1 Eastern New Mexico vs. #4 Central Oklahoma
Saturday, May 6 (Finals)