University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Men's Tennis Sets Schedule for 2012-13 Campaign
7/26/2012 7:13:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Contact: Matt Hebert
LAFAYETTE – Ragin' Cajuns men's tennis head coach Mark Jeffrey unveiled the squad's 2012-13 schedule on Thursday, a slate that matches UL up against top-notch competition in both the fall and spring segment.
“The schedule that we have put together will greatly challenge our athletes on a national stage,” Jeffrey said. “Playing several nationally ranked teams over the course of the spring semester will challenge us and make us better for our run to the Sun Belt Conference Championship.”
The squad is set to participate in five tournaments during the fall portion of the schedule, starting with the prestigious Baylor Invitational Sept. 21-23 where traditionally 15 teams ranked inside the ITA Top 75 send representatives.
The Cajuns fall schedule also features a trip to Beaumont, Texas for the Lamar Invitational (Oct. 5-7) plus UL is set to send four athletes to USTA Futures Events in Mansfield, Texas (Oct. 12-15), Birmingham, Ala. (Oct. 18-22) and Pensacola, Fla. (Oct. 26-29).
The spring portion opens with a first for the Ragin' Cajuns. UL was selected to play in the 2013 ITA Division I Men's Kickoff Weekend scheduled for January 26-27 at the Varsity Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio.
“This is a first for our program,” Jeffrey said. “The Top 60 teams in the nation are invited play in the ITA Kickoff weekend which is a feeder into the National Indoor. This gives us as a team an excellent opportunity and a chance for Cajuns tennis to cement its place among the nation's elite”
UL is the three seed in the Ohio State Regional and will face Miami (FL) on Jan. 26 at 5 p.m. (CST). The Cajuns will then play either Ohio State or East Tennessee State the following day. The winner of the regional will be invited to play in the Feb. 15-18 ITA National Team Indoor Championship hosted by the University of Washington.
Louisiana returns from Columbus the following weekend for its home opener against New Orleans on Friday, Feb. 1 at 3 p.m.
“Playing in the ITA Kickoff weekend will be a great start to the spring season,” Jeffrey commented. “We have a chance to play two nationally ranked teams right from the start. This will give us a good chance to push higher in the initial national rankings”.
The Cajuns spend the better portion of the next month away from Cajun Courts, but the trips should be beneficial to the program. UL is in Florida starting Feb. 8 and running through Feb. 12 for three contests that includes a rematch with Miami. The HEB Tournament of Champions, a long-standing tradition in collegiate tennis, is on the docket for Friday-Saturday, March 1-2.
“The Florida trip will be a great chance to see two ranked teams inside the Top 60 in Miami and North Florida. Two programs that will be a great measuring stick for our program,” Jeffrey said. “Last year the HEB Tournament of Champions was the tournament that helped us propel highly in the rankings. It will be great to go back this year and go one better than last.”
After a trip to Atlanta for matches against future Sun Belt competitor Georgia State and Georgia Southern on March 9 and 10, the Cajuns play eight of their final 11 matches at Cajun Courts beginning on March 13.
The regular season wraps up at Cajun Courts with a three-match homestand featuring Jackson State (April 6), Southern Miss (April 13) and Texas-Pan American (April 15) leading into the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Championships which will be held on the squad's home surface Thursday-Sunday, April 18-21.
“Having the conference tournament in Cajun Country really could not have been timed any better,” Jeffrey explained. “This program is ready to reach new heights and the conference tournament being held here will hopefully help us highlight that. I really believe we will have over 500 fans every match which will help bring Cajuns Tennis back to the community”.
The Cajuns, winners of 15 matches in 2012, were ranked as high as 47th in the ITA Men's Division I Poll last season and finished the year ranked in the final ITA Men's Division I Team Rankings for the first time since 2006. In the 2012-13 season, Louisiana will be entering its fifth campaign under Jeffrey's guidance.
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