Men's Tennis Announces 2010-11 Schedule
7/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
July 13, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Head Men's Tennis Coach Billy Pate announced the 2010-2011 schedule on Tuesday that includes at least 13 matches against teams that advanced to the 2010 NCAA Championship. The schedule features two fall tournaments in Tuscaloosa, including the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southern Regional Championships, five home matches against Southeastern Conference competition, and a return to the Blue Gray Invitational in late February after a one year hiatus.
"As always we have another extremely competitive national schedule," Pate said. "It will be good to return to the Blue Gray in Montgomery after a one year absence due to SEC scheduling conflicts. That event has reduced its field from 16 teams to an elite group of eight teams, so it promises to be very challenging."
The fall portion of the Crimson Tide's schedule begins with a trip to Chicago for the Olympia Fields Invitational Sept. 17-19. The next weekend Alabama heads to Athens, Ga., for the Southern Intercollegiate Championships, which will be held Sept. 24-26. The month of October starts with the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla. The tournament runs from Oct. 1-10, beginning with prequalifying, and participating players will be selected based on ITA preseason national singles and doubles rankings.
The Tide will then take some time off from competition before hosting the ITA Southern Regional Championships Oct. 22-25. The next tournament Alabama participates in will also be held in Tuscaloosa, as the Crimson Tide Fall Championships will take place Nov. 5-7. Alabama will also be sending players to compete in the USTA National Indoor Championships Nov. 5-8 in Flushing, N.Y. The fall schedule concludes the next week with the Lakewood Ranch Clay Court Classic Nov. 12-14 in Sarasota, Fla.
"The fall schedule will be critical," Pate added. "We have a couple of guys coming off injuries and also need to get the new guys a variety of reps so they're ready for the spring season."
The spring schedule opens up with the SEC Indoor Championships Jan. 13-17 at a site still to be determined. The Tide will then take on the USTA National Boy's Team Jan. 20 in Boca Raton, Fla. The next day players will take part in the USTA Futures Qualifying in a city to be determined in the state of Florida. This event provides the opportunity to compete as amateurs at a professional event.
Alabama then heads to Austin, Texas, for the 2011 ITA Kick-Off Weekend Jan. 29-30. The Tide will face Rice on the 29 before taking on either Texas or Hawai'i the next day. Should Alabama come away with a win in both matches, the team would advance to the 2011 ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle Feb. 17-20.
The Tide then hosts a doubleheader on the Feb. 5 against Troy and Furman. The next weekend features two matches in the state of Texas. Alabama will face TCU in Fort Worth Feb. 11 before taking on SMU the following day in Dallas. The Tide will make a short trip to Montgomery, Ala., for the Blue Gray Invitational on the last weekend of the month. The tournament consists of eight teams, seven of which advanced to the NCAA Championship last season, and each team is guaranteed three matches.
Alabama begins SEC play the first weekend in March, heading to Knoxville on the 5 to battle Tennessee and Athens on the 7 to face Georgia. The next weekend the Tide hosts two conference matches, welcoming in Florida on March 11 and South Carolina March 13. The next two weeks feature only one match each, as Alabama will travel to Kentucky on March 20 and host Vanderbilt on March 27.
The next weekend presents two road matches, with the Tide playing at Arkansas on April 1 and at LSU on April 3. The following three matches will be at home, with two of those coming against conference foes. Alabama hosts Mississippi on April 8, Mississippi State on April 10, and then steps out of conference competition to take on UAB on April 13. The regular season closes on April 16 with a trip to in-state foe Auburn. The 2011 SEC Men's Tennis Tournament will be played in Columbia, S.C., beginning April 21 and running through the 24.
The Tide is looking to replace two seniors from last year's squad, including Saketh Myneni, who was Alabama's No. 1 singles player for the previous three seasons. The team will look for leadership from juniors Ricky Doverspike and Michael Thompson, who have gained valuable on-court experience through their first two years, as well as from lone senior Trey Walston.
"We have our usual slate of tough SEC opponents and non-conference foes, so we're anxious to see what this team can do," Pate stated. "We expect to have more experience and depth in several spots along with some talented newcomers; therefore, our expectations will be high as usual."
