DELAND, Fla. – Last season's dual champions, regular season and ASUN tournament winners, Stetson women's tennis team is eager for the challenge of another ASUN season.
"We are excited to be back out there and ready to compete again," head coach
Travis Sandlant said, "We are keen to see how we will play and what we need to improve to keep building this team."
With five returning all-conference selections and championship experience built into the program, the Hatters are in a premium position of what should be a highly competitive season.
Noa Cohen,
Alanna DiFrancesco and
Cheri Darley all won more than 20 singles victories last season.
Nadejda Maslova and
Anais Gabriel earned placements on the ASUN All-Conference team, in addition to the previous three. Sandlant is in his seventh year and coming off being named the ASUN Coach of the Year and the 2022 Wilson ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year.
The season begins Saturday at noon with Saint Leo coming to Mandy Stoll, followed up with Mercer a week from today at 11 a.m.
The Hatters face a challenging road slate with #21 UCF on January 21 at 11 a.m. The following weekend [January 27 and 28] the Hatters will play in the ITA National Kick Off Weekend in Athens, Georgia. On day one, SU will face the hometown #12 Georgia Bulldogs. On day two, the opponent could vary between either #20 Southern California or #48 Notre Dame.
After the ITA Weekend, Stetson closes the non-conference schedule with nine consecutive home matches. On February 4, the Hatters face Florida National and Atlantis in a doubleheader; those matches will share the Mandy Stoll with the Men's teams counterparts.
The following Wednesday Southeastern comes to DeLand, that match starting at 4 p.m. Bethune-Cookman will face SU on February 12 [Sunday] at 11 a.m.
USF will make the trip up I4 on Thursday February 23 for a 2 p.m. start. Oakland will come to the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center facing the Hatters a week later, starting at 10 a.m. Stetson will face Charleston the next day, also starting at 10 a.m. The previous two opponents will meet at Mandy Stoll on Sunday. Louisiana Tech rounds out the weekend, with a 10 a.m. start against the Hats on Monday.
ASUN Conference play begins at home with the top two preseason picks facing off as the Ospreys of North Florida will head South to face SU on St. Patrick's Day starting at noon. Two days later [Sunday, March 19] Central Arkansas comes Mandy Stoll, starting at 10 a.m.
Four ASUN matches on the roll from mid-March through April 1. The Hatters travel to Fort Myers, Florida to face #71 FGCU followed by a Sunday trip to Georgia to play against Kennesaw State. The week after is two stops in the Volunteer State, first at Austin Peay on Friday March 31 then at Lipscomb on April 1.
Stetson closes out the regular season at Mandy Stoll with Liberty on April 6 then Queens on April 8.
The same format as the ASUN Men's Tennis Championship will be played as the first round and second [quarterfinal] round of the tournament will be played on the home courts of the top 4 seeds. After those two rounds are played regardless of remaining teams, North Florida will host the ASUN semifinal and championship.
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS (PDF).
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