The University of Alabama men’s tennis team will take on Cornell and Harvard on Friday in Flushing, N.Y.

The Crimson Tide is coming off a pair of wins on Sunday against New Mexico and Penn State in the Wake Forest Spring Invitational. They played three matches in two days, starting at 1 p.m. for their first match, then at 7:30 p.m. for a doubles match. On Sunday they finished matches at 1 p.m.

“The match-up was grueling, but in the end it was great for us. We need things like this,” head coach George Husack said.

Husack also said he would sum up this season thus far as ‘comfortably uncomfortable,’ due to the format of these matches.

“Jarred Botha played nine sets of tennis and won all three matches and three sets of tennis,” Husack said. “For him to stay in there mentally and certainly physically makes me very proud of him and as well the team”

The Tide will have to prepare for yet another two-match-in-one-day format in New York this weekend.

Husack said his approach for these matches in practice includes no-break sessions and constantly moving for about two hours. A lot of their drills involve more aerobic training rather than static conditioning. He also said they always have some form of motivation during these drills, like making the losers run.

“It pays to be a winner,” Husack said.

As the team looks to keep their streak alive, they will go up against Cornell and Harvard. The Cornell men’s tennis team is coming off a win against George Washington on Saturday. On the other hand, Harvard men’s tennis team fell in their last match against No. 8 Oklahoma on Saturday in the ITA kick-off finale.

The Tide will be using freshman Becker O’Shaughnessey to help lead the way this weekend. O’Shaughnessey finished strong by clinching the match on Sunday against Penn State sophomore Samir Iftikhar.

“He started off slow, but then clinched the match strong while cramping. He is a physical beast.” Husack said. “We are going to rely on him a lot, not for just this year but for years to come.”

O’Shaughnessey is having a solid first season with the Crimson Tide. He earned a spot on the all-tournament team at the Tom Fallon Invitational and advanced to the semifinals of the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships. Head Coach Husack said he is pleased with his development and his continuing growth.

Alabama is set to play Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT.

Also in today’s Crimson White:

UA announces dates for A-Day, 2013 Homecoming

Tide travels to Georgia for age-old rivalry

Justin Thomas and Bobby Wyatt added to Ben Hogan Award watch list