Jan. 31, 2006

Columbia, Mo. - Columbia, MO -- The University of Missouri's women's tennis team kicked off its spring campaign on Monday (Jan. 30), when it hosted its first of two Tiger Pro-Am's at the Green Tennis Center in Columbia.

The Pro-Am was a fun-filled tournament featuring the Mizzou women's tennis team, local celebrities and Missouri tennis fans. Several well-known Columbia residents participated in the event and teamed with Tiger student-athletes in a doubles competition. There were three sets of doubles matches on Monday, featuring current Missouri student-athletes and local celebrities as teammates. In addition to the Tigers and local celebrities, many of the fans in attendance are members of the Green Tennis Center and supporters Mizzou tennis.

"We have gone out of our way to get involved in our community and put our players in a position to meet people in Columbia's professional society," said Missouri tennis Head Coach Blake Starkey. "Our kids meet a lot of new people and everyone has a lot of fun. We will continue to run events like this."

The event was an opportunity for the Missouri tennis team to socialize with their featured guests and vice-versa.

"These girls are just wonderful," said Margot Perry, a participant in the Pro-Am. "We come and watch them practice and play and it was so much fun to actually be on court with them. Sitting in the stands you sometimes don't realize how wonderful these girls truly are. We're looking forward to their season starting."

The University of Missouri women's tennis program opens its spring season Feb. 4-5 at the Ohio State Invitational. The Tigers open against West Virginia on Feb. 4 at 10 a.m., before taking on the host Ohio State Buckeyes on Feb. 5 at 10 a.m.