SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The 2020 Missouri State women's tennis schedule features 21 total matches including 10 home tilts at Cooper Tennis Complex, announced head coach Mallory Weber Monday.
 
"It's always great to be able to play a strong home schedule and having 10 matches out at Cooper as well as hosting the MVC Tournament makes for an exciting season," said Weber. "We have great balance in this schedule and I'm looking forward to our non-conference matches preparing us well for our Valley matches in April."
 
MSU opens the 2020 season with a three-game January road swing, beginning with a stop in Omaha, Neb. for matches against North Dakota (Jan. 24) and Creighton (Jan. 26) before concluding the stretch at in-state rival Missouri (Jan. 31).
 
The Bears will return to Cooper Tennis Complex for the first time in 2020 the following weekend, welcoming Murray State (Feb. 7) and South Dakota (Feb. 9) for the first pair of home matches. MSU travels to Fayetteville, Ark. to face SEC foe Arkansas, and then promptly returns back to its home court for another two-game stand against Central Arkansas (Feb. 21) and Omaha (Feb. 22). Weber's squad finishes out the month with a road tilt versus Saint Louis in O'Fallon, Ill. (Feb. 28).
 
The month of March opens with the Bears playing host to regional foes SEMO (March 6) and Kansas City (March 7). Next, MSU embarks on a four-game tour, facing Jackson State (March 18) and then making its way to Louisiana for a 10-day stay that features matchups with Southeast Louisiana (March 19), Southern Mississippi (21), and Louisiana Tech (March 29).
 
April starts Missouri Valley Conference action, as the Bears square off in back-to-back home contests against Northern Iowa (April 4) and Drake (April 5). Up next, MSU travels to Illinois for Valley matchups at Bradley (April 11) and reigning MVC Champions Illinois State (April 12). The Bears complete their non-conference and MVC slates at Cooper Tennis Complex versus Oral Roberts (April 15) and Valparaiso (April 18).
 
MSU hosts the 2020 MVC Women's Tennis Championship at Cooper Tennis Complex, April 24-26, with the champion earning the Valley's automatic NCAA tournament berth. The last time the Bears held the tournament on their home court in 2018, they knocked off UNI and claimed the title for the first time since 2002.
 
For more information on the Missouri State women's tennis team go to www.missouristatebears.com or twitter (@msubearstennis).