FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5-1-07

AASU Hosts 2007 Mid-Atlantic Tennis Regionals

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The Armstrong Atlantic State men’s and women’s tennis teams will each host one of two NCAA Division II Mid-Atlantic Tennis Regionals, beginning on Thursday, May 4, and concluding on Friday, May 5. The winner of each regional advances to the NCAA DII Tennis Championships Round of 16 on May 9-12 at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla.

The No. 2-ranked AASU women’s tennis team (25-0) is the top seed in the Mid-Atlantic Region and hosts its eight consecutive regional. The Peach Belt Conference champions will host No. 8 seed and CIAA champion Fayetteville State (18-4) – winners of five of the last six league titles – in a first-round match on Thursday at 9:00 a.m.

The Lady Pirates are in the middle of an outstanding stretch in which they have completed four straight undefeated regular seasons. A key part of the Pirates’ successful stretch has been senior Dziyana Nazaruk, the only senior on this year’s team for AASU. Nazaruk, who is currently the No. 6-ranked singles player in Division II and is the top-ranked doubles player in the nation, joined the Pirates in 2004 and was the PBC’s Freshman of the Year. A three-time ITA All-American and four-time All-PBC honoree, Nazaruk has compiled an impressive 109-19 overall singles record and a 123-19 doubles record in her four seasons with the Pirates.

The other half of the women’s regional pits No. 4 seed GCSU (20-7) against No. 5 seed Francis Marion (15-7) in a battle of two fellow Peach Belt Conference members on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. GCSU is ranked No. 17 in the latest ITA DII rankings, while Francis Marion is No. 16. The Patriots won, 5-2, when the two teams played just nine days ago at the PBC Tournament.

On the men’s side, the No. 3-ranked AASU men’s tennis team (24-3) hosts its third straight regional as the top seed after capturing the Peach Belt Conference title. The Pirates will face No. 8 seed and CIAA champion Shaw (12-6), who, like the Pirates, have won three straight league titles. The two teams will meet at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday.

The regional will be a sendoff for one of the best success stories with AASU men’s tennis as senior Taavo Roos plays in his final home matches for his hometown school. Roos, who played locally at Savannah Country Day and was the two-time Savannah Morning News Coastal Empire Player of the Year in 2002 and 2003, started his Pirate career as a walk-on in 2004. Roos worked his way into the singles and doubles lineup as a junior, capturing the ITA Mid-Atlantic Region doubles title in 2005 with Robert Jendelund, and this year was the team MVP for the Pirates, having won the most points of any other AASU player in the dual match season with a 21-3 spring doubles record and a 20-4 spring singles record. 

The other match features No. 4 seed USC Aiken (17-6) and No. 5 seed Augusta State (16-6), Peach Belt rivals whose campuses are separated by less than 30 miles. USC Aiken is currently ranked No. 19 in the latest ITA DII rankings, while Augusta State checks in at No. 25. The two teams meet at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.

The women’s final will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, with the men’s final beginning at 2:00 p.m. Fans can follow along with all the action via the regional website at http://www.athletics.armstrong.edu/tn07regional.html which will include a live matchday webcam as well as completed results and stories following each match.

- Pirates -