May 26, 2004

TULSA, OK -- Old Dominion junior Izak van der Merwe (Kempton Park, South Africa) advanced to the second round of play at the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Tournament with a first round victory over Adriano Biasella of Southern California at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center of the campus of the University of Tulsa.

Van der Merwe, ranked 23rd in the ITA Poll, improved his overall singles record this season to 30-10 with the 6-7, 6-7 win.

The top Monarch singles player will face Robert Searle of Rice who defeated the nation's top collegiate singles player in Brian Wilson of Illinois in three sets, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.