LAKE NONA, Fla. – Having the Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M match at the United States Tennis Association's National Campus as part of the 2019 Collegiate Series automatically elevates Thursday's meeting into sort of a Florida Classic of tennis.

Wait for it….Wait for it … Wait for it…

No, the band WON'T be there.

"They [the USTA] wanted the band," admitted BCU Head Coach Val Villucci. "I gave them [Band Director] Donovan Wells' number. Haven't heard anything else."

Halftime performance aside, Thursday provides both teams an opportunity to compete at a state-of-the-art facility in the finale of a 12-match series that's included Florida State, BYU, Texas, Mississippi State, Penn State, Michigan, Miami, Notre Dame and Iowa.

Both the BCU men's and women's team have been to the site before, competing in last September's HBCU National Championship tournament. The Wildcat men won that tournament's team competition for the first time in program history.

The USTA is pulling out all the stops, offering live scoring and streaming on its website USTANationalCampus.com.

"It's an amazing place to play tennis," Villucci said. "It motivates you to play your best game."

Freshman Victor Castro agrees.

"It's pretty cool to play on such a big stage, with the feeling of a more professional environment, thanks to the great facilities and opportunities  the Collegiate Series provides," Castro said. "Being part of this matchup is very special for me. I know how important is the rivalry with FAMU and also how important is a conference match, therefore everything is favoring a great day and a great atmosphere on the courts."
 
Castro couldn't be sure if this felt exactly like the tennis version of the great football rivalry.
 
"Tennis is so different from football," Castro said. "But I'm sure the feelings are really special and it can be somewhat the same as football feels when they are on the field for such a big classic."
 
Both of Thursday's matches have big implications on the post-season. Of course…it's Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M.
 
Led by Castro, Jose Plazas and Juan Navarro, the Wildcat men (5-8 overall, 1-1 MEAC) still have a mathematical chance to take the Southern Division's No. 1 seed at the conference tournament later this month. Paced by Rookie of the Year candidate Michelle Ncube and 2018 ROTY Rehaana Butt and senior Karen Romero, the Lady Wildcats (4-8, 1-1) can clinch a tournament berth with a victory Thursday.
 
"Playing Florida A&M has always been an special occasion, but this one will be the one that will stick with me the most since it's my last one," Romero said. "I'm ready to make it my best performance yet since I've been here at B-CU, hopefully get the win and get us one step closer into the conference tournament."
 
Both matches begin Thursday at 6 p.m.