NEWARK, Del. - - It will be hard to top the inaugural year the Wilmington University women's tennis team had in 2016-17, but second year head coach Brad Rose has stacked his fall schedule with the area's best, as he has announced this season's fall schedule.
In the program's first season of competition, Rose took his team to a second place finish in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference regular season, and a spot in the CACC Tournament Semifinal round. The Wildcats were one spot away from earning a postseason berth into the NCAA Tournament, being ranked seventh in the final NCAA East Region poll, despite being positioned fourth in the final ITA East Region Poll.
This season, Rose has scheduled the top three teams from last season's NCAA Regional poll, including five teams that were ranked in the final ITA East Region poll as well. The CACC also welcomes back Concordia to the schedule, which finished the 2015-16 season ranked second in the ITA East Regional poll and 46th in the ITA National Poll.
The Wildcats don't get to ease into the season as they open the schedule with the top ranked team in the East Region from last year in NYIT. They will host the Bears at the Delcastle Tennis Complex on September 5. They will head to LIU Post (ranked No. 8 in the final ITA East Regional Poll last year) on September 9 before hosting the second ranked team in the East from last year, Queens, on September 17.
CACC play begins with another home game on September 19 against Chestnut Hill before the Wildcats take a break from team play and head to the ITA East Regional Tournament in the famed Flushing Meadows, N.Y., area.
The Wildcats return to team play on September 27 against crosstown rival Goldey-Beacom at the Delcastle Tennis Complex. The Lightning won the CACC Tournament last year and were ranked third in both the NCAA and ITA East Region polls last season. September wraps up with an away match at Post, the ninth ranked team in the final ITA East Region Poll and who eliminated the Wildcats from the CACC Tournament last year.
October features four home matches and two away matches for the Wildcats, as they host USciences, Holy Family, the University of the District of Columbia, and Concordia. They will travel to Caldwell and end the regular season against Thomas Jefferson University (formerly Philadelphia University) on October 14.
The Wildcats are looking to be one of the top six teams in the CACC at the end of the Regular Season to advance to the CACC Tournament. The fourth and fifth seeds will face off in a first round game on October 17. The final four teams will face off in the CACC Tournament Semifinals hosted by Post University on Saturday, October 21. A champion will be crowned on Sunday, October 22, in Waterbury, Conn.
AGATE
2017 Wilmington University Women's Tennis Fall Schedule
September:
5 – vs. NYIT; 9 – at LIU Post; 17 – vs. Queens; 19 – vs. *Chestnut Hill; 22-25 – at ITA East Regional Tournament (Flushing Meadows, N.Y.); 27 – vs. *Goldey-Beacom; 30 – at *Post
October:
3 – vs. *USciences; 5 – at *Caldwell; 7 – vs. *Holy Family (Homecoming); 10 – vs. District of Columbia; 12 – vs. *Concordia; 14 – at *Thomas Jefferson (formerly Philadelphia University); 17 – at CACC Tournament First Round; 21 – at CACC Tournament Semifinals (at Post University); 22 – at CACC Tournament Championship (at Post University).