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Tennis on Campus Fall Invite
The 2021 United States Tennis Association Missouri Valley Tennis on Campus Fall Invite returned as a smashing success last weekend at Kossover Tennis Center in Topeka, Kan. after a one year hiatus. More than 100 college club-tennis players showed up to represent 13 schools across the section.
This year’s Invite represented more than just a chance to compete on the courts, though. It was a return to normalcy after many club teams had to cancel their seasons in 2020.
“The Tennis On Campus Fall Invite was the perfect event for our college club players to return to the courts. The importance of it can't be overstated,” USTA Missouri Valley Adult Play Manager Scott Howes said. “Each year this tournament is such a fun and casual event, and this year especially it was exactly what was needed after a long layoff.”
With such a large turnout, the event was split into two (seasonally named) brackets: Scarecrow and Wizard. As expected after such a long layoff, the event was buzzing with excitement.
“The atmosphere was absolutely amazing!” Howes said. “The Tennis on Campus captains were great, and all of the teams were just happy to be playing against other schools. It was encouraging to witness the overall positive vibe throughout the entire weekend.”
The Iowa State Cyclones team took home the top prize in the Scarecrow bracket by narrowly edging the team from Washington University - St. Louis. The Kansas Jayhawks (‘A’ Team) took home third place with a victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the 3rd/4th place match.
The St. Louis University Billikens rode a perfect 6-0 record to a first place finish in the Wizard bracket. They knocked off the Kansas Jayhawks (‘B’ Team) in the championship match to cap off their weekend. Oklahoma State and Missouri State rounded out the top four, respectively.
The Kansas Jayhawks teams also had a strong performance off the court, winning the “Spirit Award” for the weekend. They brought the energy in support of their teammates throughout the weekend and even brought some artistic school spirit with them for the weekend.
“Both of their teams showed positive attitudes throughout the entire weekend, cheering on their teammates loudly but respectfully during each match. Some of their players also had Jayhawk 'tattoos' on their cheeks to further show their amazing KU spirit,” Howes said.
After such a successful weekend. Howes has high hopes for what’s to come at future Fall Invites. He says he expects to see even better turnout in 2022.
The 13 participating schools were as follows: Benedictine University, Drake University, Iowa State University, Missouri State University, Oklahoma State University, Saint Louis University, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska, University of Oklahoma, University of Tulsa, Washington University - St. Louis.
Stay tuned for future Tennis on Campus updates, including more information to come on the Spring Section Championship. For a full event photo gallery, visit our Facebook page.
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