@MizzouTennis Releases Full 2015-16 Schedule
10/9/2015 10:33:00 AM | Tennis
The Tigers will face 14 teams that finished in the ITA top 50 last spring
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Tennis released its full 2015-16 schedule on Friday, as announced by head coach Sasha Schmid. The Tigers face a challenging slate as they take on 14 teams that finished in the top 50 of ITA's final 2015 team rankings.
Mizzou travels to paradise to open spring action at the Hawaii Invite, where the Tigers face Texas Tech, Washington State and Hawaii from Jan. 5-7. The squad then returns home for a lengthy home stand that features nine consecutive matches at the Mizzou Tennis Complex.
The Tigers open the home schedule with a doubleheader on Jan. 23 against Bradley and SIUE. Mizzou plays two more doubleheaders at the MTC on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 before hosting a big midweek match against Kansas State on Feb. 10. The Tigers wrap up the long home stand with two matches in two days vs. Wichita State and BYU.
Coach Schmid's team then heads south for final preparations before Southeastern Conference play. After a clash with Mercer on Feb. 20, the Tigers face Furman on Feb. 21.
Mizzou will play 13 SEC teams during the 2016 conference season and 12 of those 13 placed in the top 50 of ITA's final 2015 team rankings. That journey begins with a road trip as the Tigers take on South Carolina on March 3 and Florida on March 5.
Mizzou's first SEC home match is against border rival Arkansas on March 12. The Tigers knocked off the Razorbacks 4-3 in the first round of the 2015 SEC Tournament in their last meeting. The victory marked the second SEC tournament victory for the program and second against Arkansas.
Following the clash with the Razorbacks, the Tigers welcome Alabama and Arkansas to the Mizzou Tennis Center on March 18 and 20, respectively. Mizzou then takes a long road trip from March 25-April 2 and plays six matches in nine days against Texas A&M, Louisiana State, Southeastern Louisiana, New Orleans, Tennessee and Georgia.
After the road trip, Mizzou hosts four consecutive home matches. First, Schmid's squad faces defending national champion and top-ranked Vanderbilt in Columbia on April 8. The Tigers finish up the regular season against Kentucky on April 10, Mississippi State on April 14 and Ole Miss on April 16.
The 2016 SEC Tournament is set for April 20-24 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mizzou has advanced past the first round in each of the past two years and looks to build on that success this season. For all the latest on Mizzou Tennis, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MizzouTennis.
