Women's Tennis Announces 2012-13 Schedule
9/12/2012 1:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A slew of home matches highlights the University of North Florida women's tennis team's 2012-13 schedule, as announced by Head Coach Audra Cohen on Wednesday morning.
“My philosophy as a coach is to build a tough schedule with similar level opponents in an effort to prepare the girls for the Atlantic Sun Tournament,” Cohen said. “We are going to be defending our A-Sun Championship this year, and the girls are focused and ready to step up to the pressure.”
The Ospreys will kick off their 2012-13 campaign this weekend, when they travel to Atlanta, Ga. to take part in the Georgia State Invite from Sept. 14-16. The following weekend, Sept. 21-23, UNF will head to Troy, Ala. for the Troy Invite.
After almost a month off, Cohen will take her team to Tampa, Fla. for the Southeast Regionals, being held on the campus of the University of South Florida, Oct. 17-21. The Ospreys will return to Tampa and USF on Nov. 2-4, when they wrap up their fall season at the State of Florida Championships.
UNF will start its spring season at home in Jacksonville, as they welcome Bethune-Cookman to campus for a Jan. 26 match.
“This year's Spring schedule is exciting for the girls because we play a majority of our matches on our home turf,” Cohen said. “Unlike last year, the team has the opportunity to show how hard they work in front of their family and friends.”
After heading south for matches at Miami (Feb. 2) and Nova Southeastern (Feb. 3), the Ospreys will return home for a run of nine consecutive matches.
First, UNF will welcome Houston (Feb. 15) and Barry (Feb. 17), before moving into a three-match weekend with bouts against South Carolina State (Feb. 22), UCF (Feb. 23) and South Alabama (Feb. 24).
The Ospreys will then spread their time more evenly, hosting the College of Charleston (Mar. 5) and Cleveland State (Mar. 11) in their final non-conference matches of the regular season.
To open A-Sun play, UNF will play host to Kennesaw State (Mar. 14) and Mercer (Mar. 16), before traveling north for matches at East Tennessee State (Mar. 22) and USC Upstate (Mar. 23).
Home bouts against Florida Gulf Coast (April 4) and Stetson (April 6) will wrap up the home portion of the regular season schedule, before trips to Northern Kentucky (April 11) and Lipscomb (April 13) bring the regular season to a close.
The Atlantic Sun Championships will take place from April19-21.
“This team understands that pressure is a privilege and also an opportunity. Each practice they are working for the opportunity to perform under pressure. I am proud of this team and look forward to leading them through this year.”
UNF returns all but two players from last year's squad that captured both the Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championship and the Atlantic Sun Tournament title. The Ospreys ended their season with a 16-5 record, after earning their second trip to the NCAA Tournament in three years.
