Missouri tennis is preparing for its final tournament of the fall season as it heads to Nashville, Tennessee, for the June Stewart Invitational, hosted by Vanderbilt from Nov. 6-8.
Assistant coach Bronte Murgett will travel with the participating Tigers as Missouri looks to finish the fall schedule on a positive note before turning its attention toward the spring season.
The tournament marks the final opportunity for Missouri to evaluate its progress through a fall schedule that has featured a new
coaching staff, a largely inexperienced roster and several opportunities for individual competition.
The fall season began with the Husker invitational and the Charlotte 49er Invitational, where the Tigers collected double digit wins. Missouri continued its progress at the ITA Central Regionals, recording 11 victories on the opening day while sending all nine players and all three coaches to the tournament.
The regional tournament provided an early opportunity for the young roster to compete against familiar competition while adjusting to the expectations of a new coaching staff.
Missouri also traveled to the Battle for the Boot JAE Foundation Open in Fort Worth, Texas, where the Tigers earned six singles victories and two doubles wins. Freshmen Irina Anghel and Dario Budko each picked up singles victories against BYU on the tournament’s final day, providing another glimpse of the contributions expected from the incoming class.
Goodman emphasized the importance of developing team competition throughout the fall schedule, even as players competed in individual matches.
The Tigers continued their fall competition with a UTR tournament hosted by Missouri, giving players another opportunity to test themselves against outside competition and gain valuable match experience.
With the June Stewart Invitational approaching, Missouri will have one final chance to build on those experiences before the fall schedule concludes.
For a roster still learning how to compete together, the fall season has been about more than collecting wins. The Tigers have spent the past several months developing chemistry, establishing expectations and becoming comfortable with a new system.
The June Stewart Invitational will provide one last opportunity to carry that progress onto the court before the Tigers shift their focus to the spring season.
Tiger Top Spin will return next week and Columns and Courts will be back Wednesday with more insight into Mizzou tennis.
