VERMILLION, S.D. – South Dakota head tennis coach Brett Barnett is pleased to announce the upcoming spring schedule featuring a combined six home matches and a strong slate of non-conference matches.
 
"We are very excited for our spring season to get started," said Barnett. "The team had a very strong fall and is excited for the dual portion to begin.
 
"We have put together a very difficult schedule this year. We're going to be challenged early in the year and challenged often."
 
South Dakota has a total of 22 duals on its 2022 spring schedule, including four home matches in Vermillion and two more in Sioux Falls. The addition of St. Thomas to the Summit League brings the total to seven Summit League duals this spring.
 
The Coyotes open the season in Manhattan, Kansas on Jan. 22 against Kansas State from the Big 12, one of three Power Five opponents on the schedule. South Dakota will also square off with Minnesota (Jan. 29) and Nebraska (Feb. 19) during the dual season.
 
The team will play a pair of matches at Huether Family Match Pointe in Sioux Falls, facing Wichita State on Jan. 31 and Morningside on Feb. 25.
 
Summit League play will begin on March 5 in Macomb, Illinois against Western Illinois. Home matches in Vermillion during league play include Denver (March 11), Kansas City (March 12), North Dakota (April 1) and Omaha (April 17).
 
The non-conference slate also includes a four-match, three-day trip (Feb. 4-6) to the state of Washington for matches against Eastern Washington, Seattle, Gonzaga and Montana State.
 
Omaha will host the Summit League championships on April 22-23.
 
The Coyotes have a combined six four-year and fifth-year seniors on the 11-member roster as all but one individual returned from the spring 2021 season that saw the team post a 5-9 mark, go 3-3 in league play and qualify for the Summit League championships.
 
"We have an extremely deep team this year and we will have some lineup options that I haven't had in about three years," said Barnett. "This team is ready to compete and will not back down no matter who we are playing. 
 
"We have very high goals this year and I'm looking for us to have a successful non-conference season and really be playing our best tennis when Summit League matches start up in March."