The Alabama men’s tennis team will host a doubleheader against the Furman Paladins at 10 a.m. and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at 3 p.m. Feb. 23.
The Crimson Tide will be looking to bounce back after a tough 5-2 loss against the Clemson Tigers.
“It was tough. It was our first time playing outside in a while,” senior Harris Barnard said. “It was different getting used to it, but it was a good experience. Everyone fought hard and played hard.”
Head coach George Husack said from the Clemson match, there were things to build on and learn from.
“The learning experience was good for us because we were able to play outside,” Husack said.
Besides getting valuable experience, Alabama is improving by working hard. Last season’s top player, now a volunteer assistant, Rickey Doverspike said the team improves every day and has a good mindset.
“The team works really hard,” Doverspike said. “Everyone is really fit, and everyone is really motivated. We need to keep those three things up and continue to work.”
Furman comes into the match with a record of 2-4 and the Golden Eagles enter at 7-3. The Tide comes into the two matches at 7-3 and is looking to get back in the win column after losing its last two matches against Clemson and Samford.
“I think we need to get back on it,” Barnard said. “We’ve lost twice in a row, so we need to come out with a ton of confidence and try to get two wins.”
The doubleheader will be the final two matches Alabama plays before opening conference play against Ole Miss at home on March 1.
“We are definitely looking forward for conference play to start,” Barnard said. “That is essentially when the real business starts.”
Alabama will be playing in its fourth doubleheader of the year. Husack said another doubleheader will be this tough test for the team, and its members need to be ready to play.
“It will be another challenging day for everyone,” Husack said. “We need to respond. We are back at home, so it’s nice to be back here. Hopefully, we will play outside and get more experience, but I really expect us to compete as hard as we possibly can.”
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