UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's tennis team and head coach Alexandra Anghelescu announced the Nittany Lions' 2023 spring schedule, which includes 11 home matches and six matches against 2022 NCAA Tournament teams.
"We are really excited for this coming season," said Anghelescu."The team has put in the work on and off the court and have learned a lot from the previous season."
The Blue and White will play a schedule consisting of 11 Big Ten matches and 12 non-conference contests.
Penn State kicks off their schedule in Happy Valley on Saturday, Jan. 14 facing off against Xavier, before hosting Old Dominion on Jan. 15. Xavier won the 2022 Big East Tournament title, while Old Dominion won the Conference USA Tournament. Both teams competed in the NCAA Tournament with Old Dominion advancing to the second round.
The Nittany Lions will hit the road for five-straight non-conference matches. During their stint away from Happy Valley, Penn State will compete against Princeton (Jan. 22), Harvard (Jan. 28), LSU (Jan. 29), Marshall (Feb. 4) and West Virginia (Feb. 5). Princeton won the Ivy League in 2022 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Anghelescu's squad will return to University Park, Pa. to host Kentucky and Saint Francis on Feb. 11.
The Blue and White travels to South Bend, Ind. to face Notre Dame on Feb. 17.
Penn State opens Big Ten play on the road against Illinois on Feb. 19.
The Nittany Lions will return to host James Madison and Duquesne on Feb. 26.
Following a short stint at home, the Blue and White will travel for three away competitions. Penn State will face Ohio State (March 4), UCF (March 8) and Charlotte (March 12). Ohio State won the Big Ten regular season title last year and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, while UCF also made the NCAA Tournament second round.
Continuing conference action, the Nittany Lions will come back to Happy Valley for five home matches. The team will compete against Minnesota (March 17), Wisconsin (March 19), Indiana (March 26), Iowa (April 7) and Nebraska (April 9).
The Blue and White conclude the regular season on the road with four Big Ten matchups. Penn State will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. to face Michigan on April 15. Capping off the weekend, the
Nittany Lions battle Michigan State on April 16. Michigan won the Big Ten Tournament title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
To finish off the regular season, Penn State will see action against Maryland and Rutgers on April 22 and 23, respectively.
"This season, we've bumped up our schedule to give the team more opportunities at a high level to prepare us for the Big Ten season but to also put us in a position to be a Top 50 team," Anghelescu said. "We feel the team is ready for the opportunities and to covert those 'so close' to 'we got it done.'"
Keep up with the Penn State women's tennis team at GoPSUsports.com. For continued updates throughout the year, make sure to follow our Instagram @pennstatewtennis and Twitter @pennstateWTEN.