COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M women's tennis begins its fall tournament season Friday as six members of the team will compete in the Baylor Invitational in Waco, Texas. The three-day event will be played at the Hurd Tennis Center, the site of the 2015 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Championships, May 15-24.
Joining A&M in the hidden dual are Alabama, Baylor and Southern California. All four participating teams were in the top 16 of the 2014 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) final rankings, and each team also reached at least the round of 16 at the 2014 NCAA Championship, with Southeastern Conference-foe Alabama advancing to the quarterfinals.
“Opening our year with Baylor, Southern California and Alabama will most certainly grab our ladies' competitive attention,” said Howard Joffe, who is entering his fourth season as the head coach at A&M. “More than anything, getting to play some tough matches and trying some new doubles pairings will account for a valuable weekend.”
Returners Rutuja Bhosale, Stefania Hristov, Anna Mamalat and Mason Strickland, along with newcomers Eva Paalma and Rachel Pierson are slated to compete for the Aggies, who begin with doubles against USC at 1 p.m. on Friday. Also on Friday, A&M takes on Baylor in singles beginning at 2:30 p.m.
On Saturday, A&M opens with singles against USC at 10 a.m. and faces Baylor in doubles at 2:30 p.m. A&M also will meet Alabama in doubles Saturday at 4 p.m.
The Aggies close out the tournament Sunday morning, taking on the Crimson Tide in singles at 9 a.m.
Live online streaming of matches played on the front courts only will be available at http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-tennis/live-stats-courts-only.html
The complete schedule is as follows:
Friday, Sept. 12
1 p.m. (Doubles)
Baylor vs. Alabama
Texas A&M vs. USC
2:30 p.m. (Singles)
Baylor vs. Texas A&M
Alabama vs. USC
Saturday, Sept. 13
10 a.m. (Singles)
Baylor vs. Alabama
Texas A&M vs. USC
2:30 p.m. (Doubles)
Baylor vs. Texas A&M
Alabama vs. USC
4 p.m. (Doubles)
Baylor vs. USC
Alabama vs. Texas A&M
Sunday, Sept. 14
9 a.m. (Singles)
Baylor vs. USC
Alabama vs. Texas A&M
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M women's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M women's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieWomensTennis.