SEATTLE – The much-anticipated spring season for Seattle U men’s tennis under new head coach Joey Barnes begins on Saturday, and he, for one, is very excited.
“We have been working hard to prepare for the spring,” he said. “This weekend is a great opportunity for us to see where we are, as well as to look for areas to improve. Our team is looking forward to getting back on the match court.”
The Redhawks kick off team play on Jan. 19 at Portland State, then head to Eugene, Ore., to PAC-12 powerhouse Oregon the very next day.
“Portland State and Oregon are outstanding teams and great competitors,” said Barnes, who has seen plenty of quality competition over his 25 years of coaching at Maryland, Florida Gulf Coast, Upper Iowa and South Dakota State before coming to Seattle U to coach the men’s and women’s tennis programs.
Following their matchup against Oregon, the men’s team returns home for a five-match stretch starting with a rematch against Portland State on Feb. 3. They continue into the month with matches against Puget Sound (Feb. 8), Linfield (Feb. 9) and Idaho (Feb. 17) before heading back out on the road to play Southern Utah in St. George, Utah, and UNLV in Las Vegas on Feb. 22. Seattle U closes out February with a match against Air Force, also in St. George, on Feb. 24.
On March 2, the team travels to Spokane, Wash., to play against Gonzaga, then challenges Whitworth there the following day. They appear once again in the state of Oregon on March 8, when they will face George Fox in Newberg, Ore. Finally, the Redhawks come back home to finish non-conference play on March 17 against Pacific (Ore.).
Western Athletic Conference matchups begin on March 30-31 for Seattle U, when they face Grand Canyon and Rio Grande Valley in Las Cruces, N.M. All three of the Redhawks’ regular-season April matches will take place at Seattle U, with Kansas City (April 12), New Mexico State (April 13) and Chicago State (April 14) attempting to gain a leg up in conference standings. The WAC Tournament, held in Brownsville, Texas, lasts from April 26-28.