COLUMBIA, MO. – Mizzou Tennis Head Coach Colt Gaston announced the program's 2016-17 schedule on Friday. The Tigers will face 15 opponents who were ranked in the final Oracle/ITA Women's National Team poll last May.
"I am very excited about our schedule for the 2016-2017 season," Coach Gaston said. "The strength of our nonconference matches will be a great test for the team this year. We really wanted to be pushed leading into SEC play and I feel this schedule will definitely do that."
The Tigers will launch the 2016-17 campaign by hosting the fifth annual Mizzou Invitational at the Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City, Mo. The three-day event from Sept. 23-25 features Louisville, Nebraska and Memphis.
Mizzou then turns to a pair of ITA events in October. Senior captain Bea Machado Santos will represent the program at the 2016 ITA Women's All-American Championships, which begins Oct. 1 in Los Angeles. Machado Santos is set to be the fifth Tiger since 2012 to clinch a spot at the renowned tournament. The team travels to the ITA Central Regional in Minneapolis, Minn., from Oct. 13-17 before rounding out the fall season at Dartmouth's Big Green Invitational from Nov. 4-6.
The Tigers will begin the spring season at the ITA Kick-Off, where they are slated for two guaranteed matches. After taking on Old Dominion on Jan. 29, Mizzou can potentially square off with NCAA semifinalist California the following day.
Coach Gaston's squad continues a lengthy road swing after the ITA Kick-Off with six consecutive matches away from home, including matchups against BYU, Kansas State and Minnesota. The Tigers' first of seven total home matches at the Mizzou Tennis Complex in 2017 is set for 12 p.m. on Feb. 25 vs. Louisiana Tech.
Mizzou opens its Southeastern Conference schedule at rival Arkansas before returning home to face Texas A&M and LSU on March 10 and March 12, respectively. The Tigers follow the homestand with a pair of road matches against Mississippi State and Ole Miss the following weekend. Mizzou edged Ole Miss 4-3 in a wild win last season.
After the clash with the Rebels, the Tigers have eight more conference matches with four at home and four on the road. Mizzou will host South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia in Columbia, Mo., and travel to Vanderbilt, Georgia, Auburn and Alabama.
The 2017 SEC Tournament will take place in Knoxville, Tenn., from April 19-24 and the NCAA Tournament will begin May 12.
All home Mizzou matches are free to the public. For all the latest on Mizzou Tennis, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.