Women's Tennis Releases 2015-16 Slate
8/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Complete Schedule
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State's women's tennis head coach Simone Jardim announced the team's 2015-16 schedule on Thursday. The Spartans return to the ITA Kick-Off Weekend from Jan. 23-24 before hosting the 2016 Big Ten Championships at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Courts from April 28-May 1.
"Our schedule has gotten tougher each year as a result of our program getting better," said Jardim. "Our goal is to make it to the NCAA Tournament. We have been getting closer each season, and this is the year for us to make that jump."
Michigan State opens the season with a pair of tournaments hosted by Big Ten foes Northwestern and Purdue. The campaign commences at the Wildcat Invite in Evanston from Sept. 25-27, followed by the Purdue Invite in West Lafayette from Oct. 2-4.
The fall competition closes out with a trio of ITA events, starting with the All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, California, from Oct. 3-11. The Spartans return to the courts soon after at the Midwest Regional Championships in Ann Arbor from Oct. 15-20. The ITA National Indoor Championships wrap up the first semester's action in mid-November.
Michigan State comes back from winter break at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Miami, Florida. The Spartans will face Auburn on Jan. 23 and conclude the trip against Miami (Florida) or Middle Tennessee on the 24th. All three opponents finished 2015 ranked by the ITA, with the Hurricanes coming in at No. 15. For more information on the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, visit the link here.
"We are excited to be heading back to the ITA Kick-Off Weekend," Jardim said. "We open against a tough Auburn team that is one of the nation's top programs."
The Green and White is set to host 11 dual matches in the spring, six of which are against conference opponents. Nonconference road trips in 2016 include DePaul on Jan. 30, Kentucky on Feb. 21 and a pair of contests in Charleston, South Carolina, against the College of Charleston on March 10 and Charleston Southern on March 11.
The Big Ten home slate opens with three consecutive home matches, beginning on March 19 against in-state foe Michigan. Purdue and Indiana will round out the Spartans' homestand on March 26 and 27, respectively.
After taking to the road for the next four of seven matchups, Michigan State's regular season concludes on April 24 against Northwestern in East Lansing.
The Spartans will host the Big Ten Championships for just the third time in program history from April 28-May 1. The last time the women's championships were played in East Lansing was in 2005.
"Hosting the Big Ten Championships will be exciting and a great way for Emily (Meyers) to play her last event in front of the home crowd," said Jardim. "Playing at home creates a much better environment and really gives us an advantage."
Michigan State went 5-1 against nonconference opponents last season that appear on the 2016 slate. The lone loss came to then-No. 38 ranked DePaul, 4-3. Nine of last year's 11 Big Ten matches were played against ranked opponents.