Aug. 5, 2009

Columbia, Mo. - The weather in Columbia has been wonderful and the University of Missouri Tiger Tennis Team will soon begin practice.  They will be preparing for arguably the most challenging competition they have ever faced.

"We've really upgraded our schedule the past few years, in an effort to position ourselves for national wins," said head coach Blake Starkey.  "This group has a high set of goals.  The girls have really been excited to simply be in matches with national rankings on the line, and their level of improvement has been obvious."

Mizzou will spend the bulk of the fall season training and will compete in three fall tournaments.  The Tigers will compete in the Las Vegas Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev., before hosting their second "Ace for a Cure" tournament, where housing is provided for all visiting teams and funds go for breast cancer research.  The Tigers will conclude the fall season at the ITA Regionals in Norman, Okla., and in the ITA Optional in Lawrence, Kansas.

The Tigers' spring competition will be challenging as the bulk of 2010 is on the road.  The Tigers open spring play in the sunshine state of Florida at the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational.  Upon returning from the south they will then take on five Big 10 nationally-ranked opponents.  The Tigers play Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota on the road, and take on Ohio State and Purdue in Columbia.  They will also play national opponents in SMU, Louisville, Houston, and West Virginia.  Last year, while SMU had a stellar season finishing ranked No. 25 in the country, the Tigers were fortunate to beat SMU 5-2 in Dallas, propelling the Tigers to a No. 55 national ranking.

Conference play then begins, and features seven road matches, and four home matches.  This year's conference tournament will be in Norman, Okla.

"There's nothing guaranteed or easy about what we're attempting," said Starkey.  "We're good, and the teams we are playing are good.  But at the same time, it has been exciting and a lot of fun to play tennis at this caliber and see how much we've improved.  Win, and you're looking at a ranking.  If you come up short, well, you just spent time on court with someone who is pretty good, which only helps prepare you for the next opponent.  It is a shift and process we're going through, and we have a lot to prove."

Missouri will open their home schedule on Friday, Oct. 2, as they host the "Ace for a Cure" tournament. The tournament will extend through Sunday, Oct. 4 and take place at the Green Tennis Center.