September 29, 2009

By Ashley Bryant
Special to howard-bison.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. - With Howard women's tennis already underway, the ladies are showing signs of a strong upcoming season. The Lady Bison showed off their competitive drive as they matched up against the University of Maryland in their season opener, held in College Park Sept. 18 to Sept. 20. According to Head Tennis Coach Larry Strickland, the team had a very strong showing, with players winning majority of their match-ups against the Terps.

Following the Maryland match, the team will take a swing at a couple of tournaments and invitationals: The George Mason Invitational in Fairfax, Virginia Sept. 25 to Sept. 27, The Hampton Roads Invitational in Norfolk, Virginia Oct. 2 to Oct. 4 and at the ITA Regionals in Blacksburg, Virginia Oct. 22 to Oct. 25.

After a series of tournaments and winter-break, the team heads back on the road to face U.S. Naval Academy Feb. 12, NJIT Feb. 13, and Mt. St. Mary's Feb. 20.

The Lady Bison compete on Howard turf for their first home game March 9 against Towson University and hit the road again to battle UMBC March 11. The ladies face-off with St. Johns University in Bison territory March 12 and head to Princess Anne, Maryland to take on UMES March 13. After traveling to the eastern shore, the ladies head to the beach for the Virginia Beach Team Tournament March 16 to March 18. 

Following a three-day tournament, HU heads home for back-to-back matches against Southern University March 26, Morgan State University March 27 and George Washington March 28.

After a string of home games, the Lady Bison travel to Fairfax, Virginia and Dover, Delaware to square up against George Mason University March 31 and Delaware State University April 2. The ladies head home again to challenge Hampton University April 3 and take a short trip to Georgetown University April 6.

According to Strickland, the team hopes to build on what it began last year while adding some new faces to the roster. Transfers Michelle Brown, who was ranked #1 at Georgetown last year, Anne Akhimien, from Charleston Southern and Brittany Morgan, out of Los Angeles, will add more depth to the team. "All have greatly improved the lineup," said Strickland.

The women's team is very young, with a squad of mostly freshen and sophomore, but Strickland's expectations are high. "I expect big things from this year-they are very talented," he said.

The team is always working toward improvement: "The #1 goal is to improve every time we go out," said Strickland, who would also like to make the NCAA tournament.

The Lady Bison close out the regular season at HU against Longwood University April 10 and take their rackets to the MEAC Championships in Raleigh, North Carolina April 16 to April 18. 

Strickland said spectators are in for a very good season from both Howard tennis teams.