Alabama Men’s Tennis Reveals 2016-17 Schedule
8/9/2016 3:24:00 PM | Men's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The Alabama men's tennis team revealed its 2016-17 schedule today, which features six fall tournaments and 21 regular season match-ups. The Crimson Tide will host two tournaments, the Crimson Tide Four-In-The-Fall (Sept. 23-25) and the SEC Fall Classic (Nov. 4-6), serving as bookends of its fall schedule. The team will appear at home for 10 dual matches in the spring.
The Crimson Tide begins the fall portion of its schedule by hosting the Four-In-The-Fall team event for the second consecutive year, and the tournament includes Alabama, Columbia, Memphis and Tulane. Alabama will travel for its next four tournaments, heading to Tulsa, Okla., on Oct. 1-10, to compete in the annual Saint Francis Health Systems ITA All-American Championships. On Oct. 13-16 the Tide will travel to the campus of in-state rival and conference foe Auburn to participate in the USTA/ITA Regional Championships, before transitioning to Birmingham, Ala., on Oct. 28-Nov. 6 to participate in the USTA $10K Futures tournament. For the final two fall tournaments Alabama will travel to Flushing Meadows, N.Y., on Nov. 3-6, as a part of the USTA/ITA National Indoors, before concluding the fall season by hosting the SEC Fall Classic.
"The fall season allows our team to compete and be exposed to a wide variety of events," said Alabama men's tennis head coach George Husack. "The Four-In-The-Fall brings a dual match atmosphere, which is always exciting and a preview of what's to come in the spring. We have a stellar field that have been successful at the conference and national level. The Regional Championships and SEC Classic allow us to face opponents not only from the South but in the deep and strong Southeastern Conference. The All-American and National Indoor Championships are two grand slam events that feature the best in college tennis. In the Birmingham Future, and other pro events we will look to compete and give our players the opportunity to face others playing tennis for a living. So, all in all, it's a full spectrum of opportunities that will prepare us for the dual match season."
Alabama has an extremely competitive schedule for the spring season that features 19 teams that finished the 2016 season nationally ranked, and 11 of those teams finished ranked within the top-25. Alabama will host a doubleheader on Monday, Jan. 16, taking on East Tennessee State and Samford to begin the 2017 spring season. On Sunday, Jan. 22, the Crimson Tide will face Michigan in Orlando, Fla. Alabama will then travel to Athens, Ga., for ITA Kick-Off Weekend on Friday, Jan. 27, where it will compete against Washington, before turning around to take on either Georgia or Purdue on Saturday or Sunday. The Crimson Tide will return to Tuscaloosa on Friday, Feb. 3, to challenge Texas Tech, before facing Clemson on Sunday, Feb. 3. Alabama will travel to the state of Oklahoma for its last two scheduled non-conference matches, as it faces Oklahoma State on Friday, Feb. 10, and Oklahoma, a semifinalist team from last year's NCAA championships, on Sunday, Feb. 12. The National Indoors will be held in Charlottesville, Va., on Feb. 17-20, and to conclude the non-conference portion of the schedule Alabama will compete in the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Ala., on Feb. 24-25.
"The spring is going to be challenging and competitive from the start," said Husack. "It's important for us to compete against strong programs indoors and outdoors, at home and on the road, during this stretch. We have some great non-conference opportunities ahead of us that will prepare us very well for the rigors of the SEC."
All but one of Alabama's opponents in the 2017 SEC slate finished last season nationally ranked, and six of them finished in the top-25 nationally. The Crimson Tide will stay in Tuscaloosa for its first two conference matches, as it takes on Ole Miss on Friday, March 3, and Arkansas on Sunday, March 5. The following week, Alabama will travel to Starkville, Miss., on Thursday, March 9, to take on Mississippi State, before traveling to Auburn, Ala., to face Auburn on Saturday, March 11. The Crimson Tide returns to Tuscaloosa for its next two matches, as they challenge Texas A&M on Friday, March 17, before battling against LSU on Sunday, March 19. Alabama's next two matches include a pair of top-10 finishers from a year ago in Georgia, which will be played in Athens and Florida, which will take place in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide will play its last scheduled home match of the season against South Carolina on Saturday, April 1. Alabama will be on the road for its final three scheduled matches of the regular season. On Friday, April 7, the Crimson Tide will take on Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., before traveling to Lexington, Ky., on Sunday, April 9, to challenge Kentucky. Alabama will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., on Thursday, April 13, to face Tennessee in the last scheduled match of the regular season.
"There is nothing stopping the SEC," Husack said. "Teams are very tough and they keep getting better year after year. It's an unforgiving portion of the year and yet very rewarding. It's a time of year that we look forward to the most, and you definitely have to have plenty of gas in the tank physically, mentally and emotionally to reap the rewards. I'm very excited for the season ahead and what our Alabama community will be able to see from start to finish. I can't wait to get started."
The 2017 SEC Championship will be held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., April 26-30. NCAA first and second round action takes place May 13-14, and the 2017 NCAA Championships will be played at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., May 18-29.
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