The waiting is over.
After months of roster construction, coaching changes and a complete reset, Mizzou tennis is finally ready to put the Robin Goodman era into action.
The Tigers will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, for the Husker Invitational from Sept. 25-27 at the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center, marking the first competition of the Goodman era. Mizzou’s fall schedule begins with the three-day individual tournament before the Tigers head to Charlotte the following week.
For Goodman, hired in May
as the 13th head coach in program history, the tournament represents the first chance to see his new roster compete against outside competition.
And there is plenty to watch.
Mizzou enters the weekend with nine players on its 2026-27 roster. Sophomore Alex Ackman is the lone returner from last season, giving the Tigers one familiar face in a group featuring seven freshmen and transfer Millie Skelton.
Ackman brings the most collegiate experience among the Tigers. As a freshman, the former five-star recruit went 11-13 in singles, primarily competing on courts two and three. She also enters the season as the only player on the roster who experienced last season’s 12-18 campaign firsthand.
Skelton provides another piece of experience. The England native transferred to Mizzou from SMU after two seasons with the Mustangs, where she accumulated a 16-29 singles record and 16-14 doubles mark. She also reached No. 75 in the ITA doubles rankings in December 2024.
The rest of the roster brings an international flavor to Columbia.
Irina Anghel arrives from Romania, Mariana Higuita Barraza from Colombia, Alba Salles Canudas from Spain and Leticia Bazan from Peru. Danielle Chapman comes from South Africa, while Texas natives Daria Budko and Evelyn Whiteside add more American youth to the roster.
Whiteside, a San Antonio product, enters as a highly regarded recruit with a five-star rating from TennisRecruiting.net and a Babolat Recruiting ranking inside the national top 70. Budko also arrives with four-star recruiting credentials and a strong junior résumé.
The first test comes against a Nebraska program that went 15-9 last season and 7-6 in Big Ten play. The Huskers return seven players, including Maria Taranova, Conley Raidt, Katie Spencer, Catherine Gagnon, Reya Lee Coe, Tiziana Rossini and Emma Rizzetto.
Taranova is perhaps the biggest name to watch. She owns 59 career singles victories and went 14-13 last season, while Raidt and Spencer enter the year ranked No. 62 nationally in doubles.
But this weekend is about more than results.
It is the first glimpse of what Goodman is building.
For a roster almost entirely new to one another, Lincoln will provide the first real measuring stick, the first chance to establish doubles chemistry and the first opportunity for Mizzou’s young Tigers to introduce themselves.
The Goodman era starts now.
Tiger Topspin will be back next Monday recapping the Husker invitational. Columns and Courts will be back this Wednesday with a exclusive from Coach Goodman and staff with my practice takeaways as well.
