TEMPE – Arizona State women's tennis welcomes 10 programs from across the nation next week for the 24th annual Thunderbird Classic at the Whiteman Tennis Center Nov. 9-11.
Of the 11 total teams participating in the new-look tournament, more than half the field is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018 making it one of the deepest Thunderbird fields in tournament history. Texas Tech went the furthest last season, reaching the NCAA quarterfinal round, but every visiting program advanced to the second round of their respective regional.
The diverse field will feature teams from five conferences including the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12, Big 12 and WCC.
The Big 12 will have the most representation with Texas Tech, TCU, Kansas and Kansas State all making the trip to the Valley. Along with ASU, Washington and California complete the Pac-12's representatives, and Michigan comes to town from Big Ten country, while Mississippi State carries the SEC's name into town. The WCC's San Diego and 22-time WCC champion Pepperdine will also play in the desert classic.
Programs will send four women to the courts where they will play one round of singles and one round of doubles against different teams each of the three days. The matchups will be released before the first day of play begins, but entries will not be finalized until just before the sessions begin.
The event is free to the public and the schedule format can be seen below.
Thunderbird Daily Schedule (Subject to change)
7:30-8:30 a.m. – Warm-Up (Teams 1, 2, 3, 4)
8:30-10:00 a.m. – Singles (Teams 1, 2, 3, 4)
10:00-11:00 a.m. – Warm-Up (Teams 5, 6, 7, 8)
11:00-11:30 a.m. – Doubles (Teams 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
11:30-1:30 p.m. – Singles (Teams 5, 6, 7, 8)
1:30-2:30 p.m. – Warm-Up (Teams 9, 10, 11, 12)
2:30 p.m. – Doubles (Teams 9, 10, 11, 12)
3:00 p.m. – Singles (Teams 9, 10, 11, 12)
Teams Attending (End of 2018 season ranking)
#9 Texas Tech*
#13 Pepperdine*
#18 Kansas*
#21 Michigan*
#29 Mississippi State*
#36 Arizona State*
#39 Kansas State*
#43 Washington
#52 California
#60 TCU
NR San Diego
* indicates NCAA Team Qualifier
Teams
Team 1 – Arizona State
Team 2 – Arizona State/Pepperdine
Team 3 – Michigan
Team 4 – California
Team 5 – Texas Tech
Team 6 – San Diego
Team 7 – Washington/Kansas
Team 8 – Kansas State
Team 9 – Kansas State/Washington
Team 10 – Washington
Team 11 – TCU
Team 12 – Mississippi State
* indicates NCAA Team Qualifier
Of the 11 total teams participating in the new-look tournament, more than half the field is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018 making it one of the deepest Thunderbird fields in tournament history. Texas Tech went the furthest last season, reaching the NCAA quarterfinal round, but every visiting program advanced to the second round of their respective regional.
The diverse field will feature teams from five conferences including the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12, Big 12 and WCC.
The Big 12 will have the most representation with Texas Tech, TCU, Kansas and Kansas State all making the trip to the Valley. Along with ASU, Washington and California complete the Pac-12's representatives, and Michigan comes to town from Big Ten country, while Mississippi State carries the SEC's name into town. The WCC's San Diego and 22-time WCC champion Pepperdine will also play in the desert classic.
Programs will send four women to the courts where they will play one round of singles and one round of doubles against different teams each of the three days. The matchups will be released before the first day of play begins, but entries will not be finalized until just before the sessions begin.
The event is free to the public and the schedule format can be seen below.
Thunderbird Daily Schedule (Subject to change)
7:30-8:30 a.m. – Warm-Up (Teams 1, 2, 3, 4)
8:30-10:00 a.m. – Singles (Teams 1, 2, 3, 4)
10:00-11:00 a.m. – Warm-Up (Teams 5, 6, 7, 8)
11:00-11:30 a.m. – Doubles (Teams 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
11:30-1:30 p.m. – Singles (Teams 5, 6, 7, 8)
1:30-2:30 p.m. – Warm-Up (Teams 9, 10, 11, 12)
2:30 p.m. – Doubles (Teams 9, 10, 11, 12)
3:00 p.m. – Singles (Teams 9, 10, 11, 12)
Teams Attending (End of 2018 season ranking)
#9 Texas Tech*
#13 Pepperdine*
#18 Kansas*
#21 Michigan*
#29 Mississippi State*
#36 Arizona State*
#39 Kansas State*
#43 Washington
#52 California
#60 TCU
NR San Diego
* indicates NCAA Team Qualifier
Teams
Team 1 – Arizona State
Team 2 – Arizona State/Pepperdine
Team 3 – Michigan
Team 4 – California
Team 5 – Texas Tech
Team 6 – San Diego
Team 7 – Washington/Kansas
Team 8 – Kansas State
Team 9 – Kansas State/Washington
Team 10 – Washington
Team 11 – TCU
Team 12 – Mississippi State
* indicates NCAA Team Qualifier