Team Tennis Director’s Report
By Darryl Beasley, assistant athletic director | Wednesday, October 28, 2015 9:28 AM
As the Team Tennis district season comes to close, I would like to take this time to go over some house cleaning and postseason information.
If you haven’t notice, there is a new Constitution and Contest Rule change in match scoring for Team Tennis. The scoring system will be “No Advantage-Scoring”, best two out of three set matches with a 12-point tiebreaker at "six games all" in the first two sets. Here is the new rule: If a third set is necessary, it will be played as a ten-point match tie break in lieu of the third set. This will add to the pressure and excitement for the third set.
There was also a Constitution and Contest Rule change at the area tournament. If an area tournament is being held there is an exception, by mutual consent, that allows teams to exclude the area championship and/or third place matches.
NUMBER OF MATCHES AND TOURNAMENTS
No student or team representing a participant school shall participate in more than seven tournaments (total for tennis and team tennis combined) during the school year, excluding one district tennis tournament, the regional tournaments and the state tournament. Note: The team tennis district tournament counts as one of the seven allowable tournaments if school time is lost. Each tournament a school team enters counts as one tournament for the team and one tournament for each participating individual. Students are considered to be representing their school if they are wearing and/or using school equipment or being directed or transported by a school employee. Exceptions. Tournaments, which are limited to three or fewer schools, do not count, as a tournament for teams or participants, provided there is no loss of school time. Also, if no more than four teams meet to play predetermined opponent(s), it shall not be counted as one of the seven tournaments allowed the team or the individual if no school time is lost and if no tournament draw is set to determine a champion.
IMPORTANT 2015 TEAM TENNIS DATES
Regional Certification Deadline – October 31
State Tournament – November 11-12
DISTRICT CERTIFICATION
Here is the link to the team tennis district certification form that should be completed by the district tournament director or district chair, https://www.uiltexas.org/machform/view.php?id=57.
The first, second, third and fourth place in each district shall advance to the area tournament. If majority vote from both DECs cancels the area tournament, the top finishers from each district would advance to the regional tournament. In such cases, the district tournament directors shall determine and certify an area winner and runner-up to the regional tournament director. The qualifiers must send their team information form and line up to the area or regional tournament director, whichever applies.
AREA CERTIFICATION
Area chairs must certify representatives on the UIL website, https://www.uiltexas.org/machform/view.php?id=26760.
If majority vote from both DECs cancelled the area tournament, the district tournament director shall determine and certify an area winner and runner-up to the regional tournament director. The regional qualifiers must send their team information form and line up to the regional tournament director.
If mutually agreed upon, the championship and third place matches can be eliminated. In such cases, an area winner and runner-up shall be determined and certified by the area tournament director to the regional director.
Teams representing the area (1st and 2nd) must email and submit the following items to the UIL no later than Wednesday, October 28. A complete team information form online at https://www.uiltexas.org/forms/team-info-team-tennis (list of players, coaches, etc.; and list of all games played). Team picture, Head Coach picture and school’s mascot art work in color and at least 1MB. Please do not send any smartphone photos. They must be emailed to pictures@uiltexas.org with your name in the subject line.
REGIONAL CERTIFICATION
Each regional director shall be authorized to use a seed or draw. The regional tournament director shall determine the draw, times and court assignments for the regional tournament. Schools from the same area will go in opposite halves of the draw. NOTE: The University Interscholastic League does not recognize any rating system of any state or national ranking organization of high school age participants.
Each area representative is responsible for having team information to the regional director immediately after the area representatives are certified.
Coaches must give his or her complete line-up prior to the start of the tournament for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles to the regional director. After that time, the line-up cannot be changed. The penalty for doing so will be to forfeit the individual matches involved, with the scores becoming 6-0, 6-0 in each match. Coaches should be aware that a substitution and a line-up change are not the same.
STATE TOURNAMENT
The first place team from each region will advance to the state tournament. The pairings will be made based on season records.
Congratulations to all of you on another successful season. For those of you who made it to playoffs, good luck!