The Cal men’s tennis team got lucky this year.
The last time the Bears failed to earn the NCAA Championships home court advantage was in 2010, where Cal had to travel to Los Angeles in Southern California. Although the Bears easily swept UC Irvine in the first round, they were immediately knocked out of the NCAAs by UCLA in the second round.
This Tuesday afternoon, the NCAA selection show for Division I men’s tennis revealed that the Bears will leave home for the first time in three years. No. 15 Florida will host Denver, Florida State and No. 18 Cal for the first two rounds of the NCAA Team Championships.
In the first round, the Bears will take on Florida State first, while the Gators will match off against unranked Denver.
If Cal can make it past the first round, the team will most likely battle host Florida — who it will play for the second time this year. On Feb. 16, the Bears took on then No. 11 Florida at the ITA National Indoor Championships in Seattle, where Cal emerged as victors, 4-1.
According to Cal senior co-captain Christoffer Konigsfeldt, the Bears will have a good chance of making it past these first two rounds and advancing to the NCAA sweet 16.
“It was an interesting draw — we didn’t really know what to expect this year,” Konigsfeldt said. “But I think we definitely have a good chance. Florida is the top seed there, and we beat them earlier this season, so we know that we can beat them now.
“It’s a good draw for us.”