College MatchDay, the USTA’s popular neutral-site college tennis showcase event, will return to the USTA National Campus in 2022 with two marquee matchups. 

The 2022 events, both set for February, will see the men’s and women’s programs from Florida and Florida State square off as well as the men and women of Army and Air Force. College MatchDay has averaged more than 1,000 fans in attendance since its debut at the campus in 2017. It returns this year after not being held in 2021 due to the pandemic.

The annual rivalry match between Florida and Florida State, which has become a staple of the College MatchDay schedule, will be held on Feb. 5. This is the first time both the men’s and women’s programs will play side-by-side since 2018, when nearly 2,000 fans were on-hand at the campus to catch all the action. 

Florida State swept both matches in 2018, but the Florida men have knocked off the Seminoles each of the past two years at College MatchDay. The Gators also come into this year’s match with fond memories of Lake Nona, the site where the men’s team won their program’s first-ever national championship last year.

The Florida men return a strong lineup in 2022 and were the consensus No. 1 team in the country heading into the 2022 season, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s preseason coaches’ poll. The Gators’ lineup includes Lake Nona resident and reigning NCAA men’s singles champion Sam Riffice. 

Both the Florida and Florida State women’s teams were ranked in the women’s preseason coaches’ poll. The Seminoles also made a deep run at last year’s NCAA Championships at the USTA National Campus, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to eventual national champion Texas.

On Feb. 19, Army and Air Force will return to the campus, where they played in a memorable College MatchDay in 2019. That event was the first time two military academies participated in College MatchDay and notably featured a flyover by two Air Force jets. 

Air Force swept both the men’s and women’s matches in 2019, and while the men met on a neutral site in 2020, the women have not played each other since. 

The Army men’s team is coming off an impressive 2021 campaign that culminated in a loss in the Patriot League championship match. Of note for the Army women, their roster includes freshman Paige Herremans, who played high school tennis for Lake Nona High School.  

Admission is free for College MatchDays, each of which will feature kids’ activities, live music, specialty food and drinks, games, and giveaways on-site at the USTA National Campus. While the event is free, a digital ticket must be reserved for entry.

Please visit CollegeMatchDay.com for ticket reservations and more information.