National

NCAA Division I Championships return to USTA National Campus in Orlando

Arthur Kapetanakis | May 14, 2021

Two years after first hosting the NCAA Division I Championships in 2019, the USTA National Campus is once again the site for the 2021 year-end event, with the Round of 16 beginning Sunday in Orlando.

 

The men's and women's team events will conclude with the finals on Saturday, May 22, followed by the individual singles and doubles tournaments from May 23-28. 

 

The North Carolina women and their quest for a perfect season will be one of the main storylines in Lake Nona, with the Tar Heels currently riding a two-year, 46-match winning streak in dual-match play. UNC kicks off its campaign on Sunday, along with the rest of the women's Round of 16 action, against the University of California at 7 p.m.

Led by three fifth-year seniors, including ITA singles and doubles No. 2 Sara Daavettila, the Chapel Hill outfit enters the tournament as firm favorites and the undisputed No. 1 team in the nation across both the Tennis Channel/USTA Top 25 poll and the ITA Rankings.

 

The top seed in the men's draw belongs to the University of Florida, though it's ACC champion Virginia that holds the No. 1 spot in the Tennis Channel/USTA poll. The Gators fell to Tennessee in a 4-3 thriller in the SEC tournament final, putting an end to their 17-match win streak. Men's action begins on Monday in Orlando.

 

Read More: Florida Gators on redemption mission at NCAAs

 

The Sunshine State will be represented in the women's draw by the University of Central Florida and Florida State. The No. 9-seeded UCF squad, which plays all of their home matches at the Campus, will enjoy a home-court advantage as they seek a first NCAA quarterfinal in program history. FSU, seeded No. 7, has reached the quarters once before, in 2018.

 

The Texas men return to the Campus to defend their 2019 title, while defending women's champions Stanford fell in the second round of this year's tournament to No. 5 seed Pepperdine. The 2020 tournament was not held after the pandemic cut last season short.

 

For more on the 2021 NCAA Division I Championships, including full schedules, brackets, broadcast/streaming and ticket information, visit the event homepage on USTANationalCampus.com.

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