Troy University Athletics
Tennis Releases 2009 Schedule
1/9/2009 6:00:00 AM | Tennis
TROY, Ala. - The Troy University tennis program released their 2009 schedules for both the men's program and the women's program this morning, with the season slated to begin Januay 16 in Georgia.
The women's program will open the season in one week at the UGA Winter Classic, hosted by the University of Georgia. The Trojans will face Kansas State, Georgia and Auburn Montgomery in the four-day event that runs from Friday, January 16 until Monday January 19. That tournament will feature two of the nation's top teams, one in NCAA Division I and one in NAIA. The University of Georgia is ranked sixth in the preseason poll released by the ITA this week, receiving one first place vote. Meanwhile, Auburn Montgomery will enter the season as the top-ranked team in the NAIA after winning their fifth consecutive national championship last season.
The Trojan women will also face four other Southeastern Conference opponents during the season in a schedule that features just four home matches and a month of February that the women will play eight road matches.
After the trip to Georgia, the Trojans host USC Upstate - a new member to NCAA Division I and a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference - on January 30 at the Lunsford Tennis Complex. After that match, the Trojans are on the road for the entire month of February and their first two matches in the month of March. Troy will travel to Lousiana-Lafayette (February 1) in the conference opener, before playing Ole Miss (February 6) and Mississippi State (February 7) on back-to-back days in the state of Mississippi. After the trip to Mississippi, the Trojans hit the road in Florida to play their four matches beginning with the University of North Florida (February 14). Following the match in Jacksonville, the Trojans head south to face conference foes Florida Atlantic (February 19) and Florida International (February 20). The final match of the Florida swing features seventh-ranked Florida (February 21) in Gainesville.
The final road match in the month of February brings the Trojans closer to home, playing their final SEC opponent of the season in Auburn (February 28). They will then travel to Jacksonville State (March 3) and Georgia State (March 6) to close out a 10-match road trip to start the season.
Troy returns to the Lunsford Tennis Complex on March 9 to face Indiana State University, a match that will begin at 2 pm, and will their only home match for a month. Following the match with Indiana State, the Trojans hit the road to face North Texas (March 12), UT-Arlington (March 15), before heading to the Southern Miss Spring Tournament in Hattiesburg (March 20 through March 22).
The final two road matches of the season take place the first weekend in April with the team playing Arkansas State (April 3) and UALR (April 4). They close out the home portion of the schedule against Mercer on Sunday, April 12 at 3 pm, and against South Alabama on April 13 at 2:30 pm.
For a complete women's schedule, click here.
Meanwhile, the men's schedule looks much like the women's schedule with only four home matches and a stretch of road matches - albeit in March and not February.
The men open their season on the road against the University of South Carolina (January 17), before traveling up the road to Tuscaloosa to face 23rd-ranked Alabama (January 24) in Tuscaloosa. The Trojans finish off their three-match road swing against the Southeastern Conference when they travel to Oxford to face ninth-ranked Ole Miss (January 29).
The Trojans return home for the first home match of the season against USC Upstate on Saturday, January 31 with a 10 am start time at the Lunsford Tennis Complex. Following the match with Upstate, the Trojans take a week off before hosting Nicholls State at the Lunsford Tennis Complex at 10 am on Saturday, February 7.
The Trojans travel to North Florida (February 14), before playing their final home match for a month against conference and in-state foe South Alabama at 2:30 pm on Thursday, February 26.
Following the match with South Alabama, the Trojans hit the road for seven consecutive matches that does not include the Sun Belt Shootout in Denton in April. During that stretch of road matches, the Trojans face Jacksonville State (March 3), Louisiana-Lafayette (March 12), Lamar (March 14), Missouri-Kansas City (in Wilmington, NC on March 19), Drake (in Wilmington, NC on March 20), UNC-Wilmington (March 21) and SE Louisiana (in Mobile on March 25).
The Trojans travel to Denton, the site of the conference tournament, to participate in the Sun Belt Shootout April 3 through April 5, the finish off the regular season on the road at UAB (April 8) and hosts Mercer at 3 pm on Sunday, April 12.
For a complete schedule, click here.
Both the men's and women's teams will compete in the Sun Belt Conference Tennis Championships in Denton, Texas from April 17 to April 19.
