INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Coming off a historic win in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship, Alabama A&M (6-6, 4-1 SWAC) men's tennis will make their first NCAA Division I Tournament appearance with the announcement that they will travel to No. 3 Tennessee (24-3. 10-2 SEC) on Saturday, May 8 with first serve set for 1 p.m.
 
The Bulldogs will make their first NCAA appearance since moving to the DI level in 1998-99 and will be led by a former A&M student-athlete in head coach Willis Mbandi.
 
"I'm honored to be the one leading the team having been a former Bulldog and playing here, it means so much to me," said Mbandi. "I'm extremely happy to be able to head to the tournament and play a team like Tennessee because I know the emotions that you go through as a player working towards winning a championship. Doing it for others as a coach and seeing the boys celebrating and excited about it is even more fulfilling to me as a coach."
 
Alabama A&M earned their way into that matchup with the Volunteers with a thrilling 4-3 victory over top-seeded and rival Alabama State in the SWAC Championship on April 19 and will now face one of the best programs in the country.
 
Both clubs come in having won their last five with A&M notching three straight 4-3 victories while UT has knocked off No. 1 Florida (4-3), No. 8 Texas A&M (4-0), No. 12 South Carolina (4-0) and No. 13 Ole Miss (4-1) in their last four.
 
Full coverage of Alabama A&M's men's tennis' first trip to the NCAA Tournament will be on www.AAMUSports.com, the official online home of Bulldogs Athletics, throughout the week, including full pre- and post-match coverage as well as any live links and results.

WILLIS MBANDI INTERVIEW


NCAA SELECTION REACTION


NCAA SELECTION SHOW GATHERING PHOTO GALLERY