Jaudon Announces Toughest Schedule in JMU Women's Tennis History

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison Head Coach Shelley Jaudon unveiled the most challenging women's tennis schedule in program history, as the Dukes will face off against seven Power-5 opponents, including one at home, during the spring 2022 season.

Of the 21 dual matches on the docket, five are against teams that made the 2021 NCAA Championship.

"We are very excited for the spring season ahead," Jaudon said. "No doubt, this is the toughest schedule in program history, and this team is ready to take on the challenges that each week will bring. Following the disappointing decision with the conference banning us from our championship, we in turn, reshuffled our schedule to give our student-athletes the best opportunity to earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Championship. We welcome this challenge and look forward to a great spring season, moving our program to the next level."

The Dukes will play eight home matches while also competing in the ITA Kickoff Weekend for the first time.

JMU opens the spring campaign with a trip to Greenville, S.C., on Jan. 17 to take on Furman. It returns to Harrisonburg to begin the home slate on Jan. 23 with a matchup against Georgetown.

The following weekend, JMU travels over the mountain to Charlottesville, Va., for the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Dukes face host Virginia on Jan. 28 and will take on either Stanford or Arkansas the following day.

The Dukes begin February with five of six at home. They host Penn State (Feb. 5), followed by a showdown with Cornell (Feb. 6). After a quick trip to Lynchburg to face Liberty (Feb. 12), JMU returns home to battle VCU (Feb. 19). It closes the homestand with a doubleheader on Feb. 20 versus Morgan State and Coppin State.

JMU then takes on its toughest stretch of the schedule, with eight of its next nine away from home.

The Dukes trek back to Lynchburg for a neutral-site match with Missouri (Feb. 23) before traveling to Starkville, Miss., to square off with Mississippi State (Feb. 26). They open March with a pair of matches in Huntington, W.Va., taking on Marshall (March 4) and Michigan State (March 5).

The Dukes return home the following weekend for its lone home match in the month, hosting George Washington (March 12). They close out the road stretch at Coastal Carolina (March 16), at Charlotte (March 26), a neutral march with Davidson (March 27) in Charlotte and at Clemson (April 3).

JMU closes out the home portion of its schedule on April 9 for Senior Day, as it will face Elon in its lone conference dual match of the season. The Dukes round out the regular season April 16 with a trip to Norfolk, Va., to face future league foe Old Dominion.

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