Arizona to Start NCAA Championships Play Against Boise State
TUCSON, Ariz.- No. 9 Arizona [9 seed] vs. No. 58 Boise State
When: Friday, May 3 at 1:00 p.m. MST
Where: LaNelle Robson Tennis Center, Tucson, Ariz.
Team Records: Arizona (24-3, 7-1 Pac-12), Boise State (20-10, 7-1 Mountain West)
Series
Boise State leads 5-2
Last Meeting
Arizona 4, Boise State 0 - May 5, 2023
Previously On
Arizona and Boise State met in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Championships, and the Cats came away with the 4-0 sweep. The Wildcats won the doubles point with wins by Jonas Ziverts and Jay Friend as well as Gustaf Strom and Eric Padgham.
Friend added a singles team point with a win, and Herman Hoeyeraal put the Cats one point away from clinching the match with a singles victory of his own. Colton Smith won the clinching point to send Arizona to the second round. The Cats would go on to defeat Oklahoma State in the second round to secure the program's second-ever Sweet 16 berth.
Pac-12 Honors
Wildcats Head Coach Clancy Shields won his third Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors after leading the Cats to a Pac-12 Regular Season Championship and the program's first Pac-12 Tournament Championship. Smith and Friend were recognized as Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year, the first tandem from a school outside of California to win the award.
Smith, Friend and Strom were all named to the All-Pac-12 First team while Nick Lagaev and Hoeyeraal tabbed spots on the All-Pac-12 Second Team. Casper Christensen rounded out the group of honorees with All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention.
In the Rankings
Arizona is ranked ninth in the nation going into the NCAA Championships. Smith is the highest-ranked Wildcats singles player at No. 22 and is joined by Friend at No. 35 and Strom at 70th. Smith and Friend are ranked together in doubles at No. 40.
Boise State checks into the national team rankings at No. 58. Samuel Sippel is ranked 125th in the singles standings and is ranked alongside Jip Van Assendelft at No. 54.
Up Next
With a win on Friday, Arizona will face the winner of Auburn versus Pepperdine Saturday, May 4 at 1:00 p.m. MST in the NCAA Championships second round. That match will be held at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center, and tickets will be sold on-site the day of for $5 each.