UMKC Opens Season Friday and Saturday, Hosts Baker and WJC
1/21/2016 2:19:00 PM | Women's Tennis
THIS WEEK
Kansas City (0-0) women's tennis opens the spring dual season on Friday at 3 pm against Baker, while facing William Jewell on Saturday afternoon at 2 pm, both in Kansas City at KC Raquet Club.
6501 Frontage Rd
Merrian, KS 66202
HOME SWEET HOME
The UMKC women's tennis team posted an 8-2 record at home last season, the best home mark in school history. It started the season 6-0 at home as well, the best home start ever.
THE WAC
The WAC will have a regular season champion crowned again this year, as well as a conference tournament champion. The teams will be seeded in the league tournament based on the conference standings.
HEAD COACH KENDELL HALE
Kendell Hale is in his ninth season as the head coach of the UMKC men's and women's tennis program. Overall, the 2015-16 season will be Hale's 22nd as a collegiate head coach, where he has compiled a 401-320 overall combined men's and women's record. On the women's side, he has a record of 70-104 at UMKC, while boasting a 96-82 mark with the men.
Hale has orchestrated an amazing turnaround with the men's and women's tennis programs since joining the department in 2008. He has guided both the men's and women's squads to numerous school-record win totals and has produced four conference regular season titles, four conference tournament crowns and four NCAA Tournament appearances. He was also selected at the 2010 USTPA National Coach of the Year for his turnaround effort, as well as 2009 USPTA Missouri Valley College Coach of the Year, the 2011 Summit League Men's Coach of the Year, and 2013 Summit League Women's Coach of the Year.
In eight seasons at the helm, Hale has coached 29 all-league honorees on the men's side and 16 all-league selections on the women's side. He's also coached three Conference Players of the Year and three League Newcomers of the Year.
He has also coached the five winningest players in school history on the women's side, and four of the five top career win leaders on the men's side.