Baylor women’s tennis and head coach Joey Scrivano released the 2016-17 schedule Wednesday afternoon. Thirteen home dual matches headline the Bears’ strong spring slate.
"Our schedule is always one of the strongest in the nation," Scrivano said. "We are going to embrace the challenge again this year. It will be entertaining for fans to watch and also allow our players to learn and grow. I'm looking forward to seeing our team improve this fall and be ready to compete from start to finish."
Baylor opens its fall schedule at home on Sept. 16, hosting the Bush's $50,000 Waco Showdown Wildcard. The event, which runs through Sept. 18, is a qualifier for the Bush’s $50,000 Waco Showdown on Nov. 6-13.
Student-athletes selected on Sept. 9 for the Rivera/ITA All-American Championship will head to Los Angeles, California on Oct. 1-9 to compete, while others will play in the Under Armour/H-E-B Kickoff in Waco on Oct. 7-9. The kickoff features players from top programs, including Mississippi State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State.
Senior All-American Blair Shankle, who earned an invitation to compete in the event on Aug. 9, is set to compete in the Oracle/ITA Masters from Oct. 14-16 in Malibu, California.
At home again from Oct. 20-24, Baylor hosts the UTSA/ITA Texas Regional Championships at the Hurd Tennis Center. Qualifiers from the ITA Texas Regional Championships will fly out to New York City for the UTSA/ITA National Intercollegiate Championships on Nov. 3-6.
Baylor concludes its fall slate at home with the $50,000 Waco Showdown on Nov. 6-13.
The Bears’ spring schedule features 24 contests, 13 at home and 11 on the road. Baylor is set to meet eight opponents ranked in the top 25 at the conclusion of the 2016 season.
Baylor begins the spring season with a five-match home stand. First on the slate is a doubleheader against McNeese State and Texas Rio Grande Valley on Jan 22. The Bears then match up with Oregon on Feb. 4, Washington on Feb. 5, and Rice on Feb. 11.
The team travels to Evanston, Illinois, to face Northwestern on Feb. 17, and to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to meet Michigan on Feb. 19. Baylor continues its road stint with matchups against Miami on Feb. 24 and Ohio State on Feb. 26, both taking place in Columbus, Ohio.
The Bears return to Waco for matches against Old Dominion on March 2 and UCLA on March 4, before heading to Oklahoma for a three match road swing. Baylor will face Tulsa on March 6, open Big 12 action at Oklahoma State on March 9, and meet Oklahoma on March 10.
After competing in the USC – Oracle Cup on March 17 and against Texas A&M at home on March 22, the Bears return to Big 12 play at Texas Tech on March 26, at Iowa State on March 31, and at West Virginia on April 2.
Baylor completes the regular season with a five-match home stretch at the Hurd Tennis Center, including matchups with SMU on April 7, Texas on April 12, TCU on April 19, Kansas State on April 21, and Kansas on April 23.
Postseason play begins for the Bears four days following the regular season at the Big 12 Championships in Austin, Texas, on April 27-30. The NCAA Championship will be held in Athens, Georgia, on May 18-29.
In 2015-16, the then-ranked No. 40 Bears reached the second round of the NCAA Championships for the 12th consecutive season and the 14th time overall with an upset over then-ranked No. 26 Wake Forest, 4-2. Baylor compiled a dual-match season record of 18-15 and finished the year with a No. 32 rating in the final ITA poll.
