WALTHAM, Mass. – For the first time since 1989, the Brandeis University men's tennis team is headed to the NCAA Division III Championship tournament. The 6-1 Judges, who were ranked second in the Northeast Region in the latest NCAA Regional poll, received a Pool 'C' at-large berth to the tournament.
In head coach Pauri Pandian's second year at the helm, Brandeis will travel to Rome, Georgia, and will be hosted by Berry College and the Rome Sports Commission. The Judges have earned a first-round bye. They will meet the winner of the first-round match between Grove City College and Roger Williams University in the second round this Friday, April 14, at 3 PM. The winner of the second-round match will face the winner of a match between Skidmore College and Southern Virginia University in the third round for the right to travel the tournament quarterfinals, which will be held May 24-26 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. (Note: The date and time of the second-round match have been changed from April 15).
"We're incredibly excited to have been selected to the NCAA tournament," Pandian said. "It's a testament to all the hard work the team has been doing for many years. We're going to do everything we can to bring a big trophy back to Brandeis."
Brandeis's 6-1 record this season included two wins over Division I Merrimack College, 6-1 and 4-3, and a 7-2 win over Franklin Pierce College, who was selected to the Division II tournament. The Judges also won a key match over Tufts, ranked third in the region, 6-3. Brandeis's only defeat came at the hands of the top-ranked team in the region, Williams College, by an 8-1 score on April 18. Two doubles matches were decided by tiebreakers and two singles matches went to three sets in that showdown.
Brandeis is led on the court by senior Anupreeth Coramutla of Monroe Township, New Jersey. A doubles All-American last season, Coramutla played #1 singles and #2 doubles for the team in 2021. He posted a 5-2 record in singles and a 5-1 mark in doubles playing with junior Colt Tegtmeier of Madison, Wisconsin. Coramutla is ranked #6 in the Northeast in the latest NCAA singles rankings, which should earn him selection to the NCAA Individual tournament when it is announced later this week. The Judges should also send a doubles team, as their #1 squad of junior Jeffrey Chen of Northfield, Illinois, and Adam Tzeng of Eagle, Idaho, are ranked fourth regionally. They posted a 2-3 record this season at the #1 spot, but both are two-time All-University Athletic Association honorees at #2 doubles before moving into the top spot this season.
Brandeis's only previous trip to the NCAA tournament came in 1989 when the Judges earned the first-ever berth for a New England team. They will be searching for the program's first-ever win in the sport.