LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s tennis team released its full 2021 spring schedule on Friday, a campaign that features 22 matches, including nine home matches at the Jayhawk Tennis Center at Rock Chalk Park.
“WE ARE REALLY EXCITED TO START OUR TEAM TENNIS SEASON, AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER THE BEST SCHEDULE POSSIBLE UNDER THE CONDITIONS COVID HAS PROVIDED ALL SPORTS,” SAID KANSAS HEAD COACH TODD CHAPMAN. “WE ADDED A FEW NONCONFERENCE MATCHES AGAINST BIG 12 OPPONENTS, WHICH IS DIFFERENT BUT EXCITING AT THE SAME TIME. I BELIEVE WE HAVE A CHALLENGING SCHEDULE THIS SPRING THAT WILL ALSO PREPARE OUR PLAYERS FOR THE POSTSEASON.”
The schedule includes eight matches played against teams that finished last season ranked in the top-50 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) team rankings. The Jayhawks ranked No. 31 in the final rankings a season ago.
The spring begins with KU opening its season on Jan. 11-13 at the Big12/PAC-12 duel in Arlington, Texas, before heading west to Los Angeles for the ITA Kickoff Weekend, where the Jayhawks will face UCLA on Jan. 23 and either Texas A&M or Washington State on Jan. 24. January ends with two road trips to Arkansas on Jan. 29, before a Jan. 31 match at Tulsa.
February kicks off with the ITA Indoor Championship, hosted in Seattle, Washington, from Feb. 5-8. KU then sets its sights on a three-match homestand against Denver (Feb. 12), Wichita State (Feb. 14) and Arizona (Feb. 19).
KU added three nonconference games against Big 12 opponents, with the first on Feb. 21 at Oklahoma, followed by a home match versus Iowa State (Feb. 27). The last nonconference match within the league is set for March 21 at home against Kansas State for the first of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown.
The Jayhawks will hit the road for a three-match road trip with duals versus TCU (March 12), Texas Tech (March 14) and Wichita State (March 20).
After its March 21 match against K-State, KU heads back on the road for three league matches at West Virginia (March 26), Iowa State (March 28) and Kansas State (April 3). The K-State match will be the second installment of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown for the season.
Kansas will close out the regular season at home with Big 12 tests on April 9 against Texas, followed by Baylor (April 11), Oklahoma (April 16) and Oklahoma State (April 18).
The 2021 Big 12 Championship is set for April 22-25 in Waco, Texas, with the NCAA Tournament following in May.