The defending men's and women's MEAC Champion South Carolina State University tennis teams will take on the University of Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tennis Championship Friday and Saturday, May 14-15, the NCAA Committee announced on Tuesday afternoon from Indianapolis.

Florida men's and women's tennis teams both were chosen as one of 16 hosts of their respective NCAA First and Second Round Championship matches, with the  running from May 14 -16 at UF's Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. 

 The six-time defending MEAC Champion South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs(16-5) will face the Lady Gators of Florida (24-2), who received the No.3 seed in the 64-team draw, Friday, May 14 in the first round contest beginning at 2 p.m. The winning team from the first-round match will meet in the second-round on Saturday, May 15 at 3 p.m.

 It will be the second-ever meeting between Florida Lady Gators and the South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs, which met in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament, with the Gators taking the 4-0 victory in Gainesville.

South Carolina State women's team is making its sixth straight appearance of the NCAA Championships, while The Florida women's team is making its 27th appearance, of the 28-year history, missing only the 1986 event. The Lady Gators won NCAA team titles in 1992, 1996, 1998 and 2003 and have advanced to at least the NCAA Semifinals 18 times in the last 22 years.

On the men's side, the Bulldogs (14-10) winners of the last six-of-seven MEAC Championships will take on the Gators of Florida (19-4) who received the sixth seed overall in the NCAA draw and the top seed in the Gainesville regional. South Carolina State will play Florida Saturday, May 15 at noon in the opening round.