WTEN Releases 2015-16 Schedule
8/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
FORT WORTH, Texas - TCU women's tennis coach Lee Taylor Walker announced the 2015-16 schedule on Friday, with the Horned Frogs set to take on at least 14 opponents who finished the 2014-15 season ranked nationally.
TCU, who finished the season ranked No. 17 in the country, will face at least 12 opponents who participated in the NCAA Championships last year. The Frogs will compete in 12 matches at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center in the spring of 2016, including hosting duties for the 2016 ITA Kick-Off Weekend for the first time in program history.
"We are looking forward to putting our team in some challenging environments this fall to aid in the growth of each player," Walker said. "By the end of the fall, each player will have experienced the highest level of college tennis, which will show us where we are. Once we all realize where we stand, it will be crucial for everyone to take responsibility in November, December and January to prepare for a fun and successful season.
"I've seen our team already begin forming a great chemistry and look forward to what they will all accomplish together. We are also happy to have some quality home matches and host the ITA Kick-off Weekend. Last year, we finished No. 4 in the country in attendance and I'm hopeful we can move into the top two or three spot this year with our wonderful fan base."
The Frogs' schedule includes eight fall tournaments, beginning with the Midland Invitational on Sept. 18-20 in Midland, Texas. TCU's fall schedule also includes the Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C. (Sept. 18-20), the Oklahoma Invite in Norman, Okla. (Sept. 25-27), Riviera ITA All-American Championships in Los Angeles, Calif. (Sept. 30-Oct. 4), USTA/ITA Texas Regional Championships in College Station, Texas (Oct. 22-26), the Disney Invite in Orlando, Fla. (Nov. 6-8), Dick Vitale Tennis Tournament in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. (Nov. 13-15) and the UNLV Invite in Las Vegas, Nev. (Nov. 13-15).
TCU will also spend the fall playing in ITA Pro Circuit tournaments across the country, beginning with the Kirkland 50K in Kirkland, Wash., on Oct. 1-5. The pro circuit tour will also include stops at the Rock Hill 25K in Rock Hill, S.C. (Oct. 10-14), the Waco 50K in Waco, Texas (Nov. 1-5) and the Scottsdale 50K in Scottsdale, Ariz. (Nov. 7-11).
TCU starts spring action on Jan. 6-10 by competing against the USTA National Junior Team in Boca Raton, Fla. The team will then travel to Chicago for the Northwestern Invite on Jan. 15-17, where the Frogs will take on Alabama, DePaul and Northwestern.
The first home matches on the schedule for TCU is when they host the ITA National Kick-Off weekend on the Bernard J. ‘Tut' Bartzen Varsity Courts from Jan. 22-23. TCU will take on Houston in the first round for the second straight season, while Ohio State and Pepperdine will also be on hand. The winner of the four-team tournament will advance to the ITA National Indoor Championship at the Nielson Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wisc., on Feb. 5-8.
The month of January ends with a home match against Middle Tennessee on Jan. 29, before opening the month of February on the road with matches at Stanford (Feb. 13) and at Tulsa (Feb. 19). The Frogs will also take on UCF while in Tulsa, Okla., on Feb. 20, as the Michael D. Case Tennis Center is the site of the 2016 NCAA Championships.
One final match in February has the Frogs taking on SMU at home on Feb. 25 and then TCU starts March by hosting North Texas on March 2. A double-header is on the schedule next against UMBC and UT Arlington on March 14, before the team opens Big 12 play on the road at Texas Tech on March 19.
A showdown with Louisiana Tech on March 29 concludes the nonconference schedule for the Frogs and is the start of a five-match homestand. TCU opens Big 12 play at home with Kansas on April 1 and Kansas State on April 3. Baylor will also make its way to Fort Worth on April 8, followed by Texas on April 10.
The regular season will end on the road with four-straight matches, starting with Oklahoma on April 15 and Oklahoma State on April 17. The final weekend will see the Frogs traveling to West Virginia on April 22, before heading to Iowa State on April 24.
The Frogs will start postseason play by heading to Stillwater, Okla. for the 2016 Big 12 Championships on April 28-May 1. The first and second rounds of NCAA Championship action begins on May 13-15 on campus sites. Tulsa will host the NCAA Team Championships and NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships on May 19-30 at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla.
In Walker's debut campaign, TCU finished with the most wins in program history since 1998 with a 19-9 overall record. The team competed in the NCAA Championships for the 16th time in program history and 10th time in the last 12 seasons, while also finishing second in the Big 12 Conference for the team's highest finish since joining the league in 2012. The Frogs return four letterwinners and welcome four newcomers.
