Bradley Tennis Announces Inaugural Coliseum Classic

Braves to host Saint Louis and IUPUI March 25 Inside Renaissance Coliseum

Bradley University

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Women's Tennis 3/1/2017 12:11:00 PM

PEORIA, IL – Bradley Tennis will try to set the national attendance mark for the 2017 season when the Braves host Saint Louis and IUPUI inside the University's Renaissance Coliseum March 25 as part of the inaugural Bradley Tennis Coliseum Classic, according to an announcement today by fourth-year Bradley head coach Matt Tyler.

Utilizing a modular, synthetic sports surface provided by Kewanee, IL-based Flex Court International, the matches versus Saint Louis (9 a.m.) and IUPUI (6 p.m.) will be played on three courts inside Renaissance Coliseum's basketball/volleyball arena. All of the arena's lower bowl seats will be pushed in to allow room for the three courts, but the facility's upper level, permanent seating structure still includes 1,983 seats. According to figures published by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for the organization's annual Attendance Race, the largest crowd for a women's tennis dual match during the 10 years of the national competition is 1,032 for a 2016 match between Georgia and Florida.

"I am very excited to give our student-athletes the opportunity to play in a first-class arena like Renaissance Coliseum," said Tyler. "Traditionally, Bradley Women's Tennis has not had the ability host a significant number of spectators, so being able to play in the Coliseum allows us to showcase the program and show the community at large what the sport of tennis can be.

"To the best of my knowledge, no collegiate tennis program has attempted to play a dual match in the college or university's basketball arena," Tyler added. "We have been working through a silent phase to facilitate this event and I would like to thank everyone who already has pledged their support to give Bradley Tennis a truly unique experience."

Fans will have several options to participate in the inaugural Bradley Tennis Coliseum Classic, including general donations to the event, VIP experience packages and general admission ticket purchases:

Coliseum Classic Sponsorship via Bradley Sports Properties - $500
- Two (2) VIP experience packages
- Ten (10) general admission tickets
- Video Board logo rotation
- ESPN3 promotion
- Listing on the Renaissance Coliseum scoreboards
- Public address listing
Contact: Roger Wexelberg, Bradley Sports Properties General Manger (309-6772687 | rwexelberg@bradleysportsproperties.com)

VIP Experience - $100
- Coliseum Classic preferred seating section
- Admission to the Renaissance Coliseum Zobrist Hospitality Room
- Catered breakfast and dinner
- One (1) hour of personal court time March 23-26
Contact: Matt Tyler, Bradley Tennis Head Coach (309-677-2675 | mttyler@bradley.edu)

General Admission Tickets
Adults $6
Youth (K-12) $3
Groups (15 or more) $3 adults, $1 youth
Bradley University students, faculty and staff FREE
Active members of the military and immediate family members FREE
Contact: Bradley Athletics Ticket Office (309-677-2625)

Led by four of the 15 winningest players in the history of Bradley Women's Tennis, including all-time wins leader Ariel Dechter, Bradley Tennis has produced steady improvements on the court the last two years and the program's 13 wins last season were the most since 1992-93 (14-7). The Braves also finished 3-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference last season with dual match wins versus Evansville, Missouri State and UNI, and the team's 4-1 win against rival Illinois State in the MVC Women's Tennis Championship put Bradley Tennis into the conference tournament semifinals for the first time in program history.

Riding a 4-match winning streak, the Braves (6-3) will conclude their season-long, 6-match home stand this weekend by hosting DePaul (5-6) Saturday at noon and Valparaiso (0-6) Sunday at 3 p.m., both at the Clubs at River City and free to the public.

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Players Mentioned

Ariel Dechter: 5' 5"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Ariel Dechter
: 5' 5"; Senior