TN: Mavericks release spring schedule
10/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
2016 Men's Schedule | 2016 Women's Schedule
Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike
ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington tennis faces a challenging spring as coach Diego Benitez released the team's schedule on Monday.
"I am really excited, not only do we have really good trips in the schedule where we go to the east coast and play some of the best teams in Florida, but we are also going to California," Benitez said. "A part from that, we have a lot of home matches and we are going to have some really good competition here in Arlington."
The women begin their season on Jan. 23 against Tarleton State for the first of six home matches at the UTA Tennis Center. The men begin play on the road with a match against Rice on Jan. 17 and then two matches played in Fayetteville, Ark. against Michigan State and Arkansas.
UTA faces a tough trip to the No. 2 region in the country as both the men and women will travel to Florida. For the men, they will take on Florida Atlantic (2/19), Florida Gulf Coast (2/20) and UCF (2/21), while the women face UCF (2/27) and then Florida International (2/28).
The men's schedule doesn't get any easier as the group hosts three home matches before departing for the Sacramento State Tournament where Benitez see the group potentially facing four nationally ranked squads. Returning home to close out the month, UTA welcomes Columbia (3/15), Maryland (3/17), Marquette (3/21) and SMU (3/30).
The women's March schedule begins when they host Temple (3/3), New Mexico State (3/5), Penn (3/8) and New Mexico (3/12) before facing DFW rival TCU in Fort Worth on March 14. The Mavs return home to host Maryland on March 16 before heading back on the road for its next four.
In April, UTA will be at home with matches against UTSA (4/2), Memphis (4/3) and SMU (4/7).
"It is a tremendous help," Benitez said of having tough competition in the DFW area. "Especially when we play so much against them in the fall semester. We have had a lot of success against SMU and have been even in the head-to-head record with them. With TCU we haven't got past the edge with them, we have lost some matches 4-3 with them in the years.
"It is a really good Metroplex rivalry with them and North Texas. The rivalry is getting better, it is a healthy rivalry, we compete hard on the court but when the competition is done we get out and talk with the players and it is a really good environment."
The teams wrap up the season in the Sun Belt Championship in New Orleans beginning on April 21 at the City Park Tennis Courts.
