Photo Credit: USTA
The month of February at the USTA National Campus will once again be dominated by college tennis, as College MatchDay returns to Lake Nona and both the men’s and women’s UCF programs begin their 2019 seasons.
For the second straight year, College MatchDay will kick off its annual slate of marquee matchups with the in-state rivalry match featuring the Florida Gators’ and Florida State Seminoles’ men’s teams on Feb. 2.
This is the third consecutive year the two nationally ranked men’s programs have met in Lake Nona, and the Seminoles are looking to make it a perfect 3-0 record against their Gator rivals. Last year’s match, which also featured both universities’ women’s teams, attracted nearly 2,000 fans.
Admission is free for each College MatchDay event, which will feature kids’ activities, live music, specialty food and drinks, games and giveaways on-site at the National Campus.
In addition to the typical game-day atmosphere that has become a staple of College MatchDay, fans will be treated to a pre-match fireworks display. Gates open at 5 p.m., and the match begins at 6 p.m.
This year, the National Campus’ 1,200-seat collegiate stadium – the only off-campus stadium in America built specifically for college tennis – will host five consecutive weekends of team matches. Each match will also air live on Tennis Channel.
The second matchup of the year features the men’s teams from Duke and Tennessee on Feb. 9, followed by both the men and women from Army and Air Force on Feb. 16. That match marks the first time that a service academy has been featured in College MatchDay, and the day will include a number of military-themed activities and tributes, including a veterans’ clinic and a flyover. It is also the only match of the year featuring both men’s and women’s teams playing side-by-side, utilizing all 12 courts.
The final two weekends of College MatchDay feature the hometown UCF Knights. First, on Sunday, Feb. 24, the UCF women will take on the perennial national title contender Florida Gators, who will make their third straight appearance at College MatchDay. And finally, on Sunday, March 3, the UCF men close out the College MatchDay season against the University of Miami.
College MatchDay is one of the USTA’s primary platforms to promote college tennis. The first two years of College MatchDays hosted at the USTA National Campus have drawn more than 10,000 fans. Last year’s matches all aired live on Tennis Channel as part of the network’s first-ever live college tennis series.
This year, College MatchDay serves as a five-week lead-up to the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, set to be held in May at the National Campus in Orlando for the first time.
Fans who are interested in more college tennis are encouraged to come to support UCF, which plays all of its home matches at the USTA National Campus’ Collegiate Center. In addition to UCF’s schedule, the USTA Collegiate Series features a number of top-tier Division I programs playing in Lake Nona throughout the spring.
For a complete list of USTA National Campus events and additional event information, including how to reserve complimentary tickets, please visit www.ustanationalcampus.com.
