SAN DIEGO - For the first time since joining the NCAA, the Sea Lions Men's Tennis program earned a berth in the NCAA National Tournament. Earning the third seed in the West Region, the team will travel to face the No. 2 seed, Hawaii Hilo. The teams will square off on Monday, April 30, at 2 p.m. in Hawaii with the winner advancing to compete at the national tournament site in Surprise, Ariz.

Point Loma had one of their best seasons since joining the NCAA tallying a 14-9 record and getting big wins over Concordia-Irvine, UC San Diego, and Sonoma State during the season. They advanced to the PacWest tournament semifinals but fell to Azusa Pacific and eventually took fourth in the tournament. The Sea Lions hosted the Vulcans earlier in the season with a 6-3 result in favor of Hilo, but after going down 0-3 following doubles play the men stayed resilient and were able to split singles with one of the top teams in the country. 

Head Coach, Curt Wheeler, is excited for what this selection can mean for the program, "I think being selected to compete in the national tournament is a huge step in the right direction for us. It has been amazing to see the turnaround from last year to this year. Last year was a difficult year after we lost four seniors who were playing in our top four spots the season before. But the cool part is we were able to add a couple of players this year. One really important player we added was Thomas who has played at the top of our lineup and been successful for us. Beyond that though, the rest of the lineup is filled with guys who were here last year and it was the improvements they made from last year to this year that have really pushed us to the next level. Their confidence, mental toughness, their fight were all things that made a huge difference in close matches this year."

With four seniors on the team, three of which have been with the program for all four years, it is a great way to end a career. "I think it's really cool for the seniors,especially the three who have been here all four years, to cap off their careers by making it to regionals when it it the first time we have ever done it as a program," stated Wheeler. "It was a lot of hard work over their careers that has paid off this year and it is really exciting that we are able to take that next step."

The team has never traveled to Hawaii to play but they are looking forward to a great match against a great team. "We are going to face a really good team in Hilo and we will be ready for it," Wheeler explained. "We are going to be ready to play, we have never played over at Hilo so we don't know how the environment will be or how the courts will be so it could be a challenge getting used to that but, the unknown is what makes it exciting. With whatever we have to face, though, I know the guys will be pumped and ready to compete."

Armed with one of their best seasons in recent history the Sea Lions will head to Hawaii this weekend in hopes of coming away with a win and another chance to make program history. Be sure to check back for updates on live stats and live streaming links for Monday's match.