Men's Tennis Schedule Announced
By CSU Sports Information
COLUMBUS - Columbus State University head tennis coach Evan Isaacs has officially released the 2020 men's tennis schedule.
The Cougars will play 19 matches over the spring, including competing in the inaugural Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Division II National Indoor Championship in Oklahoma City in late February and early March.
In all, 16 out of CSU's 18 DII opponents ended the 2019 season ranked in the ITA poll.
"We always pride ourselves in playing the best competition across the nation," commented Isaacs. "The only way to improve, as a team and individually, is by taking on the top opponents so you can push yourself."
"The indoor championships will be a change of pace, and I'm honored that the ITA selected our program to take part in this first of a kind event at our level."
The Cougars will begin the season at Division I Alabama State on Sunday, Feb. 9. Last season, ASU reached the NCAA Championship after capturing the SWAC title.
Columbus State's first home match takes place on Wednesday, Feb. 19 against West Alabama at the John W. Walden Tennis Complex. Since the complex opened in 2017, the Cougars are 37-2 in spring dual matches.
The John W. Walden Complex will get to see a few key showdowns throughout the year. On March 13, Wingate will visit Columbus while West Florida comes to town on March 21. Both teams finished last year inside the top-10 nationally. In addition, CSU will host two opponents from its national championship run of 2018 as Azusa Pacific (March 6) and Southwest Baptist (March 17) visit Columbus for the first time. CSU took down Southwest Baptist in the round of 16 before defeating Azusa in the national semifinals on the way to the program's first national title.
Peach Belt Conference play starts on Saturday, March 28 as the Cougars travel to the Sunshine State to take on Flagler. A few days later, CSU will host Augusta in its first home conference match on Tuesday, March 31.
Columbus State will take on its top conference rival, Lander, on Thursday, April 9 in Greenwood, S.C. The Cougars eliminated the Bearcats from the NCAA Championship in 2019 in a 4-0 sweep in Columbus.
The PBC Tournament will be held on April 24 through April 26 at the Dr. Eddie Floyd Tennis Center in Florence, S.C. It's the eighth consecutive year that Francis Marion has hosted the championship. All eight PBC teams will compete in the event.
Columbus State will look to reach the NCAA Division II national championship match for the third consecutive season in 2020. The Cougars captured the title in 2018 before losing 4-3 to Barry in the 2019 championship match.
The Cougars are the three-time defending PBC champions and have won 24 straight regular-season conference matches dating back to 2017.
The first 2020 ITA team rankings will be released on Wednesday, Jan. 15. CSU concluded the 2019 season in the second position.