CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte 49ers women’s tennis team unveiled its 2023 spring schedule Tuesday morning (Dec. 12). The 25-match schedule features 14 home duals and a return to one of the premier events in collegiate tennis.

 

“I firmly believe that this is the most challenging schedule Charlotte women’s tennis has ever had,” fifth-year head coach Anthony Davison said. “There will be plenty of opportunities against a lot of the country’s top teams and teams similar in ranking to ourselves. It’s an exciting schedule and I’m happy that we get to host a lot of top-level matches. It’s going to be a fun year.”

 

POWERFUL START

The dual season begins with the Niners playing five of their first six matches against Power-5 opponents. Charlotte has a double-dip to begin the year on Jan. 15, traveling to Durham to face Charleston Southern and Duke. CLT then hosts Iowa for the first home match of the season at LifeTime Fitness on Jan. 20 before heading up I-85 two days later for an early-morning match against Wake Forest on Jan. 22.

 

RETURN TO THE ITA KICK-OFF WEEKEND

After playing Wake Forest, the Niners gear up for their return to one of the premier tennis events of the spring season – the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Charlotte played in the event in Chapel Hill for the first time last season, picking up a win over Oregon after falling in a hard-fought match against the Tar Heels. CLT returns to Chapel Hill again this year and enters as the No. 3 seed at the site in 2023. The Niners face Utah on Jan. 27 before playing either UNC or Maryland the next day.

 

FRIENDLY CONFINES IN FEBRUARY

Charlotte has seven matches on the docket in February, with five of them coming at home. The Niners will host South Carolina State and Gardner-Webb indoors on Feb. 3 before welcoming Virginia Tech to LifeTime Fitness Charlotte on Feb. 11. CLT travels out of the state for the first time the following week to face Tennessee and Bellarmine in Knoxville on Feb. 17 before hosting the first home matches of the season at the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex on Feb. 25 against UNCW and Elon.

 

MORE HOME COOKING

After a quick trip up to Lynchburg, Virginia to face Liberty (March 3) and William & Mary (March 4), the Green and White play their next seven matches on campus at the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex. Charlotte welcomes future American Athletic Conference foe Memphis (March 10) to start the homestand, followed by Big Ten opponent Penn State (March 12), Conference USA rivals North Texas (March 17) and Rice (March 19), and LIU and Presbyterian on the same day (March 24) before finishing with ETSU to end the month (March 31).

 

FINAL STRETCH

The 49ers only have three duals in April before postseason play begins but they are against three teams that were all regionally ranked a season ago. CLT travels to face Furman (April 2) and James Madison (April 6) before finishing out the season at home with VCU on April 15.

 

CONFERENCE USA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Charlotte’s final Conference USA Championships appearance will take place in Denton Texas from April 20-23. Last year was CLT’s best showing in the event in program history, reaching the championship match for the first time before falling in the final match of the day, 4-3, to No. 33 Old Dominion. Last year’s tournament also featured the Niners’ highest-ranked win in program history after the Green and White took down No. 41 FIU in the semifinals.