2019 SOUTH DAKOTA TENNIS SCHEDULE

VERMILLION, S.D. – South Dakota head tennis coach Brett Barnett is pleased to announce the upcoming spring schedule featuring four home matches and a strong slate of non-conference matches.
 
"I am very excited with the schedule we have put together this year," said Barnett. "This is by far the most challenging non-conference schedule we have played."
 
The Coyotes open the spring season with the first of five matches against Power Five teams when it travels to Manhattan, Kansas, to face Kansas State on Jan. 19.
 
The rest of South Dakota's matchups with Power Five teams include contests with Iowa State (Jan. 26) Nebraska (Feb. 3), Minnesota (Feb. 8) and Colorado (Feb. 23).
 
The Coyotes annual Spring Break trip to Orlando, Florida, will see them play Findlay (March 4), Hampton (March 5), Minnesota State (March 6) and Norfolk State (March 7) with one more opponent to be determined.
 
The Summit League slate begins with a rematch of last spring's tournament championship match with Denver. The Pioneers, who have won five straight regular season and tourney crowns in the conference, host the Coyotes on March 16.
 
The home slate includes matches against league foes Western Illinois (Mach 29), Oral Roberts (March 30) and North Dakota (April 13) and a non-conference home match against Creighton (April 3).
 
"We have five matches against Power Five conference opponents as well as Boise State and UMKC, who won division titles, respectively, in the Mountain West and WAC las year," said Barnett. "We will be pushed for sure, but there are so many good opportunities out there for this team to pick up some really good wins.
 
"We will see every type of game style which is perfect come Summit League play so we are prepared. Denver will be as strong as ever and the league as a whole improves each year and got stronger with the addition of North Dakota. We won't take any match for granted and know we have to play our best each conference match to reach our goals later in the year." 

The Summit League Tournament starts April 26 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the winner will earn the Summit League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.