Head Coach Manuel Diaz announced the 2017-18 schedule for the University of Georgia men’s tennis team on Friday. The upcoming schedule includes a total of 11 home dates, the 50th annual Southern Intercollegiate Championships, and a trip to Puerto Rico.
For a complete listing and printable copy of the UGA men’s tennis team’s 2017-18, CLICK HERE
Fresh off the program’s fifth-straight Southeastern Conference Championship and second consecutive NCAA semifinals appearance, the Bulldogs return every letter winner from last year’s team. The 2017-18 squad begins its season with the Southern Intercollegiates on Sept. 8-11 in Athens and will finish with the NCAA Championships from May 18-28, 2018 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“Our guys continue to work to be the best they can be,” Diaz said. “It’s definitely a thrill to win five-straight SEC titles, but it is also a lot of work. Our team knows that to win again this year we have to continue to work hard and compete in each and every match. We have put together a strong schedule and look forward to getting started.”
Following the Southern Intercollegiates, Georgia hits the road for the first time with a trek to Newport, Rhode Island for the Hall of Fame Tournament (Sept. 15-17), before traveling across the country to participate in the Battle of the Bay Tournament in San Francisco from Sept. 22-24.
Those three events will prepare the Bulldogs for the 2017 Saint Francis Health System ITA Men’s All-American Championships from Sept. 30-Oct. 9 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 2017 ITA Regional Championships will follow from Oct. 13-17 at Georgia Tech.
For the second-straight year, the Bulldogs will travel to Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Invitational from Oct. 27-29, before rounding out the fall season at the 2017 ITA National Fall Championships in Palm Springs, California from Nov. 2-5.
The spring season begins just 70 miles from the Georgia campus as the Bulldogs take part in the MLK/Georgia Tech Invitational from Jan. 13-15. Georgia will then serve as one of 15 hosts nationwide for the annual ITA Kickoff Weekend on Jan. 28-29. The Bulldogs welcome Iowa, Arkansas, and Memphis, with the winner advancing to the ITA Team Indoor Championships.
Georgia’s dual-match schedules feature non-conference bouts with Florida Atlantic and Georgia Tech at the new USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida. The Bulldogs will also welcome Mercer (Feb. 27) and Ohio State (March 7) as part of the non-conference slate.
Diaz and the Bulldogs will then try to win their sixth-straight SEC crown — a feat that would be a first in Georgia’s illustrious history. The Bulldogs’ current five-year reign in the league matches the 1971-75 squads for the longest streak at UGA.
The quest for the 2018 title will feature road trips to Florida (March 2), South Carolina (March 4), Ole Miss (March 16), Arkansas (March 18), LSU (March 23) and Alabama (April 6). The Bulldogs’ home conference slate features Texas A&M (March 11), Tennessee (March 25), Mississippi State (March 30), Auburn (April 1) Vanderbilt (April 13) and Kentucky (April 15).