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College Matchday to highlight NCAA D1 matches

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The USTA today announced that College MatchDay, the nationwide series spotlighting college tennis, will feature 22 matches on 18 different campuses in 2014, 10 of which will be delivered by ESPN3. The series will kick off in Tallahassee, Fla., with the Florida State men hosting Oklahoma on Fri., Feb. 7, and the Seminoles women hosting LSU at noon on Sat., Feb. 8, both of which will be carried on ESPN3. The full College MatchDay and broadcast schedule can be found below.

College MatchDay is a weekly series highlighting marquee team matches featuring the best programs, players and coaches around the country. In addition to the ESPN3 coverage, eight College MatchDays will feature a 53-foot, interactive Fan Experience trailer on site, where fans can engage in a number of activities before and during the match.

“College tennis is such amazing and exciting competition, and College MatchDay is a way to shine a light on schools, teams, players and coaches,” said Virgil Christian, the USTA’s Director of Collegiate Tennis. “We hope that College MatchDay can change the landscape of viewing college tennis both in person and at home.”

Every MatchDay that will be delivered on ESPN3 will follow a unique, experimental format, as proposed by an advisory group of NCAA Division I athletic directors: all six singles matches will be played first, best of three tiebreak sets, with each singles match worth one point toward the team total (four points are required to win the team match). Once one team reaches four points and clinches the match, the remaining matches will not be completed. In the case of a 3-3 tie after the singles matches, three doubles matches - played using 10-point super tiebreakers - will be used to determine the winner in what amounts to college tennis’ version of “overtime.” The team that wins two of the three doubles matches wins the team match. All MatchDay dual matches will count toward each team’s win-loss record both overall and, if applicable, in conference. For MatchDays that will not be delivered on ESPN3, the participating teams will not be held to the same, experimental format.

“We’re honored to open the season to College MatchDay. I think it’s a great idea to get more exposure for college tennis,” said Florida State men’s coach Dwayne Hultquist. “I can’t thank the USTA enough for selecting us. I’m looking forward to a great match with Oklahoma in an exciting environment.”

2014 College MatchDay Schedule (All times Eastern)

Indicates match will be delivered on ESPN3

% Indicates ESPN3 delivery pending * Denotes Fan Experience trailer will be on site.

Posted on January 29, 2014
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