BALTIMORE, Md. (Dec. 16, 2015)-Morgan State head women's tennis coach Matt Townes has released the 2016 Lady Bears' schedule. The Morgan State will have just four home dates, two of which will come against non-conference opponents James Madison and St. Joseph's.

Townes has put together a challenging 22-match slate for Morgan State, which will play 18 matches away from the friendly confines of the MSU Tennis Courts. The schedule features several new opponents and the return of some programs the Lady Bears haven't played in years.

"We look forward to a wonderful season," said Townes, who enters his second season at the helm. "We have some new schools on our schedule that we haven't played in many years, if at all. It will be tough, with stiff competition and a host of away matches, but it will also be worth it as we continue to push for our success." 

Added Townes, "we have a number of new players on the team, and we are very excited to see the immediate impact they will have. We have #onegoal in mind, and that is winning a MEAC Championship."

The Lady Bears begin the season in Richmond, Va. taking part in the VCU 4-1 Invitational (Jan. 22-24), hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University. Morgan State will close out the month of January with match against Drexel on Jan. 31 in Philadelphia, Pa.

Morgan State will open up Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division play on the road in Dover, Del. at Delaware State (Feb. 6). The Lady Bears home opener will be on Feb. 13 against James Madison at 8 a.m., before traveling to Akron, Ohio for two matches (Feb. 20-21). Morgan State will square off against the host Zips of Akron on Saturday, and will close out the trip against Valparaiso on Sunday.

After a visit to Pittsburgh, Pa. to face the University of Pittsburgh (Mar. 11), the Lady Bears will make the short trek down Cold Spring Lane to play rival Loyola Maryland (Mar. 16) in a road match in Baltimore. Morgan State will then take off again, this time to the Carolinas for non-conference matches at Coastal Carolina (Mar. 19) in Conway, S.C. and Francis Marion (Mar. 23) in Florence, S.C. The Lady Bears will conclude the trip against MEAC Southern Division member, North Carolina A&T State on March 24 in Greensboro, N.C. 

Morgan State will close out the month with a home match against St. Joseph's on Mar. 26th. It will be the Lady Bears' first home contest since Feb. 13th. The Lady Bears then head to Emmitsburg, Md. to face Mount St. Mary's (Mar. 30).

The Lady Bears begin the month of April at nearby UMBC (April 1) and will travel to the Nation's Capital to face Howard in a MEAC contest on April 3^rd in Washington, D.C. Two days later Morgan State host crosstown rival Coppin State on April 5^th for its MEAC home opener at the MSU Tennis Courts. 

Morgan State will have a non-conference match on April 7^th at Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa., before hosting Maryland Eastern Shore on April 10^th for "Senior Day." The Lady Bears will then close out the non-conference portion of their schedule with a match against fellow MEAC Southern Division foe, Norfolk State on April 16^th in Norfolk, Va., before traveling to Hampton, Va. for the MEAC and regular season finale against the Hampton Lady Pirates on April 17^th.

This year's MEAC Tennis Championship will take place April 21-23 at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.