WICHITA, Kan. – The Wichita State men's tennis team will have sufficient opportunity to boost its postseason resume. Third-year head coach Danny Bryan's 2018-19 schedule includes 12 opponents that finished in the national rankings a season ago.
 
"We are really excited about our schedule this season," Bryan said. "It's a very challenging schedule that will have us ready to play our best in the postseason. Of the 12 opponents that finished the season ranked, five were in the top-25."
 
WSU's veteran core of four seniors and two juniors should be up for the challenge. The Shockers return five of the top six players from a season ago, including two-time all-conference senior Haru Inoue.
 
The Shockers are slated for four fall tournaments, including Futures Events in Florida and Oklahoma. WSU will kick off the fall season with trips to Tulsa, Okla., for the ITA All-American Championships (Sept. 29-Oct. 9) and ITA Central Regionals (Oct. 18-22). ITF Futures events in Niceville, Fla. on Nov. 3-11 followed by the Norman Futures on Nov. 10-18 round out the fall slate.
 
"Our team is excited and motivated this fall to improve and build off our accomplishments last year," Bryan said. The Shockers finished 14-10 in 2017-18 and claimed trophies at both the Pacific Invite and the Rice Invite.
 
WSU's spring schedule includes seven home matches, highlighted by a visit from American Athletic Conference opponent Memphis on March 12. The Shockers play host to Denver on Jan. 19 to begin the spring season. After a 10-match road stretch, WSU welcomes former Missouri Valley Conference foe Drake to Wichita, March 1. The Bulldogs, who finished the season ranked No. 65, claimed the Summit League Conference Tournament to earn a spot in the NCAA Team Championship, before falling to No. 19 Vanderbilt in the opening round.
 
The Shockers host Memphis for the first time in school history on March 12. WSU and Memphis have faced off twice, the last being at the HEB Invitational in Corpus Christi, Texas in 2004. The Tigers are coming off an at-large bid to the NCAA Team Championships and a national ranking of No. 25.
 
For just the first time, WSU and Charlotte will duel in the first of two matches on March 17 at the Sheldon Coleman Tennis Complex. UMKC will take on the Shockers following the Charlotte match. WSU finishes its home schedule against Creighton on March 29 followed by UT-San Antonio, March 30.
 
WSU will play 15 of its potential 24 regular season duals away from Wichita. At least nine of those matches will be against opponents who ranked inside the top-75 nationally last year. The Shockers will kick off the spring slate with a trip to Oklahoma on Jan. 17. The Sooners finished the season at No. 16 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. After receiving the Starkville, Miss., bid for ITA Kick-off Weekend, the Shockers will take on host Mississippi State on Jan. 25 for the first time in school history. Arizona and UNC-Wilmington face off on the other side of the bracket. The No. 4 overall-seeded Bulldogs reached the Elite 8 of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, before losing to eventual NCAA runner-up Ohio State.
 
Other Schedule Highlights include:
 
- A trip to Knoxville to take Tennessee on Feb. 3. The Volunteers advanced to the second round of NCAA Tournament and ranked No. 18 to end the season.
- Matches at Middle Tennessee State and Tennessee State on Feb. 4.
- 2018 Sweet 16 qualifier and No. 9 overall seed TCU and WSU face off on Feb. 8 in Fort Worth, Texas.
- Matches with Minnesota - who advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins over Georgia and Oklahoma - and Western Michigan on Feb. 15 and 16.
- Matches at Dartmouth and New Mexico, Feb. 23 and March 9. Dartmouth finished the season at No. 31 and received a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
- San Diego Invite on March 22-24 in San Diego, Calif. The field includes Harvard, Memphis, San Diego, San Diego State, Princeton, Tulane and Drake.
- Matchup with American Athletic Conference opponent SMU on April 7 in Dallas, Texas.
- American Athletic Conference Tournament, April 18-21 in Orlando, Fla at the USTA National Campus.