Men's Tennis Unveils 2020 Schedule
November 19, 2019 | Men's Tennis
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Head men's tennis coach Mike Griffith has compiled a challenging 2020 schedule for the Runnin' Bulldogs, which he announced Tuesday afternoon.
Griffith will take Gardner-Webb on the road for the first five matches of the season. The 'Dogs will kick off the 2020 spring campaign on Saturday, January 25 at Furman in Greenville, S.C. From Greenville, the squad will hit the road for a contest in Lynchburg, Va. at Liberty on Sunday, January 26.
Gardner-Webb will close out the first month of 2020 with a match at Queens on Thursday, January 30. The Charlotte-based university made the NCAA Division II tournament in 2019.
The Runnin' Bulldogs will begin February by traveling to South Carolina State Bulldogs for a 1 p.m. first serve on the first day of the month, which falls on a Saturday. On Sunday, February 2, the 'Dogs will travel to Georgia Southern for an early-morning contest. First serve between the Runnin' Bulldogs and Eagles is set for 11 a.m. in Statesboro, Ga.
"Our first five matches are away from home and against teams that will either win or challenge to win their conference title," said Griffith. "I did this to challenge our team and players. Being on the road helps with our togetherness and closeness, which we will need to rely on heavily to have the success that ware accustomed to."
When February 12 arrives, Griffith's Runnin' Bulldogs will play three home matches in an 11-day span. The 'Dogs will host Wofford in their first home match of the season on Wednesday, February 12 at 2:30 p.m. The 'Dogs will also welcome Belmont Abbey (Feb. 14) and Big South opponent Hampton (Feb. 22) to Boiling Springs.
For their final match in February, the Runnin' Bulldogs will play at Limestone in nearby Gaffney, S.C. on Thursday, February 27 at 2:30 p.m.
March features eight matches for Gardner-Webb with six being Big South Conference contests. The lone non-conference contests for the 'Dogs are a home match with North Carolina A&T State (Mar. 3) and a road match at UNCG (Mar. 19).
The 'Dogs will play four of the six Big South matches in March on the road. Gardner-Webb will only host Winthrop (Mar. 6) and Radford (Mar. 27) while traveling to the state of Virginia and South Carolina once and playing two in-state rivals at their respective home facilities.
Gardner-Webb will head to Virginia to battle Longwood (Mar.14), while staying in-state when traveling to play at Campbell (Mar. 21) and UNC Asheville (Mar. 25). The lone trip to South Carolina in league play is set for Tuesday, March 31 when Gardner-Webb visits Presbyterian for a 3 p.m. first serve.
The 'Dogs will play two matches in April before the Big South tournament begins. Gardner-Webb will play at Appalachian State on Thursday, April 2 for a 2 p.m. match before concluding regular season action by hosting USC Upstate at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7.
The 2020 Big South Conference tournament is slated for April 14-16 with UNC Asheville as the hosts. The top eight teams will make the tournament and battle for the championship trophy. The winner of the Big South men's tennis championship will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
For the latest information on Gardner-Webb men's tennis, follow @GWUMTEN on Twitter or visit gwusports.com.
