Courtesy of UNLV Athletics –

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – No. 59 UNLV earned a three seed in a four-team regional and will face second-seeded and 28th-ranked USC in the first round as the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship official bracket was released Monday.
 
The 2023 Mountain West Tournament Champion Rebels (19-3 overall), who won an automatic bid, will travel to Ralphs-Straus Tennis Stadium in Malibu, California, to face the 28th-ranked Trojans (19-9), an at-large entry from the Pac-12 Conference, on Friday, May 5, starting at 10 a.m. PT.
 
The following day, the winner of that match will take on the winner of WAC champion Grand Canyon (15-9) vs. seventh-ranked host Pepperdine (18-3), who earned yet another automatic bid out of the West Coast Conference.
 
Using a 64-team format, the women’s first and second rounds are scheduled to be held at 16 different campus sites. The champions of those regionals advance to the NCAA Super Regionals on eight campus sites May 12 or 13. Finally, the remaining eight teams will head to Orlando, Florida, for the finals at the USTA National Campus May 17-20. The singles and doubles portion of the tournament will take place May 21-27. That field of players will be released Tuesday.
 
This will be UNLV’s first NCAA trip since 2019 (there were no tournaments held in 2020 and ’21 because of the pandemic) and 14th overall. It will mark the ninth that took place in the state of California, including UNLV having played in Malibu in 2016 when the Rebels fell to USC in the first round. In fact, the Rebels have been knocked out by the Trojans in two straight NCAA events as three-seed UNLV fell to host USC in 2019 after upsetting No. 26 Texas Tech in the first round.
 
“It’s an exciting time of year and we are thrilled to be staying in the West,” said 24th-year UNLV head coach Kevin Cory. “I feel we are playing our best tennis of the season right now and have a great opportunity in front of us in USC.”
 
2023 NCAA WOMEN’S TENNIS FIRST-SECOND ROUNDS (At Malibu, CA/Host: Pepperdine)
May 5:  First Round – 10 a.m. 
#59 UNLV (19-3) vs. #28 USC (17-8)
First Round – 1 p.m.   
Grand Canyon (15-9) vs. #7 Pepperdine (18-3)
May 6:  Second Round – 1 p.m. 
 
PREVIOUS UNLV WOMEN’S TENNIS NCAA APPEARANCES
2019 At Los Angeles (Host: USC)
Won 4-3 in first round over Texas Tech
Lost 4-0 in second round to USC
2016 At Malibu, CA (Host: Pepperdine)
Lost 4-0 in first round to USC
2013 At Lincoln, NE (Host: Nebraska)
Won 4-3 in first round over Tulsa
Lost 4-1 in second round to Nebraska
2011 At Los Angeles (Host: UCLA)
Lost 4-2 in first round to San Diego
2010 At Chapel Hill, NC (Host: North Carolina)
Won 4-3 in first round over Virginia Commonwealth
Lost 4-0 in second round to North Carolina
2009 At Los Angeles (Host: UCLA)
Lost 4-0 in first round to Arizona State
2008 At Los Angeles (Host: USC)
Lost 4-0 in first round to Pepperdine
2007 At Berkeley, CA (Host: California)
Lost 4-0 in first round to Arizona State
2005 At Austin, TX (Host: Texas)
Lost 4-0 in first round to Texas A&M
2003 At Seattle (Host: Washington)
Lost 4-0 in first round to Illinois
2002 At Los Angeles (Host: USC)
Lost 4-2 in first round to Oregon
1998 At Las Vegas (Host: UNLV)
Won 5-1 in first round over Washington State
Lost 5-2 in second round to Pepperdine
1997 At San Diego (Host: USD)
Lost 5-4 in first round to San Diego