Jan. 25, 2007
Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's tennis team is a little more than a month away from its first spring match, Jan. 27th at Saint Louis. In the fourth article of a four-part season preview, MUTigers.com will outline the spring schedule.
Coach Starkey has always played a schedule loaded with nationally ranked foes designed position the Tigers for post-season play. This year is no different. The Tigers will face their share of challenges as they take on one of the Big 12's toughest tennis schedule. While playing the nationally loaded and always tough Big 12, the Tigers will also take on their share of tough nationally and regionally ranked opponents. Key out of conference matches against national competition this season will pit the Tigers, against Arkansas, Syracuse, Louisville, Army, and Wichita.
The Tigers open up the 2007 spring season on the road in St. Louis when they face off against the Saint Louis Billikens on Jan. 27, in the first of nine away matches for the Tigers. This will be the 18th meeting between the two programs, the most meetings against a non-conference opponent for Mizzou. The Tigers will then return home to get ready for the home-opener, set for Feb. 3, against Arkansas at the Green Tennis Center. This will only be the second meeting between the two Central Region foes.
Mizzou will open Big 12 action on Feb. 11 in Lincoln, Neb., as the Tigers and Huskers will meet for the 31st time.
After the Nebraska match, it is back to Mid-Missouri for a seven-match homestand at the Green Tennis Center that will feature three Big 12 contests and a visit from Drake and their first-year head coach, former Mizzou star Urska Juric (Feb. 23).
The first weekend of the home stand starts with a Saturday match against Murray State (Feb. 17). One day later, the Tigers welcome Big 12 foe Texas A&M to Columbia. The storyline in this match; Tiger newcomer Raquel Wagner transferred to Mizzou from Texas A&M after playing one season for the Aggies.
After the previously mentioned Drake contest, the Tigers will face Montana in a Sunday morning special at the GTC. The match against the Grizzlies is set to start at 9 a.m., the earliest start of the spring season.
The Tigers will then head into March with most of the Big 12 schedule ahead of them, and they will start the new month on the 3rd against Kansas State in Columbia. The next weekend (March 10) Mizzou will face off against Colorado, also at the Green Tennis Center. The Tigers will then finish out the home stand on March 11 when they host Louisville.
After the home stand, the Tigers' next seven matches will be away from the comfortable surroundings of Columbia. They will take a weekend trip to Oklahoma to face the Sooners on March 16, before making their way to Stillwater to face the Cowgirls on the 17th.
The next weekend (March 24-26) the Tigers will travel to Syracuse, NY, to face Army and Syracuse. This will mark Mizzou's first match against Army. The Tigers are 2-0 in two matches against Syracuse.
Five of Mizzou's next six matches will be against Big 12 foes. They will start with a tough weekend in Texas, facing both Texas Tech (March 31) and Baylor (April 1). The Tigers then return home for four matches to finish out the regular season, including three Big 12 contests; Kansas (March 7), Iowa State (March 14) and Texas (March 21). One non-conference match, against Wichita State (March 19) is sandwiched between the Iowa State and the Texas outings.
The 11th Big 12 Championships will be hosted in Kansas City April 26th-29th and the University of Georgia will host the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga. May 16th-25th.
Notes:
-Mizzou is 7-2 in spring season opening matches under Coach Blake Starkey. Last season, the Tigers defeated West Virginia, 6-1, in the first match of the year at the Ohio State Invitational in Columbus, Ohio.
-The Tigers are 15-11 all-time in season-opening dual matches*
*No records exist for the 1976-77 season
-Mizzou will play the standard 11-match Big 12 schedule and they will also face off against 11 Central Region teams. The Tigers went 1-10 in the Big 12 last season and 5-6 against Central Region teams.
-The Tigers will play most of the Central Region matches (seven) at home this season and majority of their Big 12 contests (six) at the Green Tennis Center.
-The 21-match schedule includes 12 home matches and eight road contests away from the Green Tennis Center.
-Mizzou is 39-15 at the Green Tennis Center since its opening in 2002.
-The Tigers will play at least 14 matches in the state of Missouri as they open in St. Louis and will participate in the 11th Big 12 Championships, hosted by the University of Kansas in Kansas City, Mo., in April.