Northwest Wayne News

The Wayne State University men's tennis team is set to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament in Indianapolis, Indiana. The No. 3-seeded Warriors will face No. 6-seeded Ferris State University on Friday, May 9, at Center Grove High School.

The winner of the match between Wayne State and Ferris State will advance to play against the victor of the contest between the University of Indianapolis (UIndy) and Purdue Northwest (PNW). The team that emerges from this section of the Midwest Regional will join 15 other squads in advancing to the NCAA Championship Round of 16 in Altamonte Springs, Florida.

Wayne State aims for its fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The team has reached the final eight teams in each of the past three seasons, including a National Championship berth during the 2022 postseason.

This matchup marks the third encounter this season between Wayne State and Ferris State, with Wayne State winning both previous contests. In their first meeting, Cedric Drenth achieved a program-record 105th singles win.

Ferris State is led by head coach Mark Doren, who has guided his team to an overall record of 88-44 during his tenure.

UIndy enters as the No. 2 seed and hosts this section of the regional tournament. Under coach Malik Tabet's leadership, UIndy finished with a record of 19-3 this season and won the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.

Purdue Northwest is seeded seventh after finishing with a record of 17-8 following their performance in the GLIAC Tournament. Coached by Selenay Heper, PNW defeated Wayne State earlier in their regular-season matchup but fell short against Grand Valley State in their tournament semifinal.