CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard men's tennis team will take on No. 75 Samford in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament, it was announced today during the official selection show. Harvard will be making its second straight appearance in the tournament after advancing to the second round of the 2012 tourney last spring.

 

The meeting between Harvard and Samford will be the first in program history. Mississippi State will play host to the regional action, as it faces off against Austin Peay in the first round of the tournament. Samford earned a berth in the tournament by virtue of a Southern Conference Tournament championship.

 

Harvard put together another stellar spring season in 2013, finishing its dual schedule with an 18-5 overall mark and capturing its second straight Ivy League title with a 6-1 league record. The dual season opener saw the Crimson take down No. 30 Notre Dame in the ITA Kickoff Weekend, and Harvard went onto capture its second straight Mission Valley Spring Classic title, downing, knocking off No. 37 San Diego State and No. 20 Drake on its annual spring break trip. The Crimson won its first five Ivy matches to clinch a share of the league title, and sealed it outright with a 6-1 win over Dartmouth Saturday.

 

This is Harvard's 22nd appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Crimson holds a 14-21 all-time record in NCAA tournament matches and has advanced as far as the round of 16 (1997).