Alabama men’s tennis coach George Husack said team captain and senior Daniil Proskura lives, breathes and sleeps Alabama, and both are hopeful that this outlook will influence a young Crimson Tide as it competes at home this coming weekend, hosting Oklahoma State and No. 8 Oklahoma.

“I think we have a chance in every match we’re going to play this year, especially this weekend,” Proskura said. “We definitely want to beat both of the teams, and I think we can, and it’s my job to put that fire and belief in the other guys that we can do that.”

Coming off a strenuous weekend on the road in which it fell to No. 14 Texas, the Crimson Tide is seeking to improve its 4-2 record in Tuscaloosa, competing against Oklahoma State on Saturday and No. 8 Oklahoma on Sunday. While the loss to Texas was tough, Husack said it was an opportunity for the young Alabama team to learn and improve its play.

(See also “Men’s tennis team looks to build momentum against Texas“)

“I think, given the youth of our team, as the saying goes, we learn from our failures. And I wouldn’t say Texas was a failure, but certainly a good lesson for our new guys and just basically the team overall,” he said.

The Tide’s spring schedule is filled with tough competition. Out of its 22 matches, the Crimson Tide will face nationally ranked opponents in 19 of them. More than 60 percent of those matches will be against teams in the top 20.

(See also “Tennis players prepare for spring“)

Husack said this Alabama team welcomes the challenges.

“It’s not setting us up for failure,” he said. “It’s setting us up for golden opportunities each week, so that’s what we have this weekend.”

With four freshmen on the team – Hayes Brewer, Saxon Buehning, Sean Donohue and Nikko Madregallejo – Alabama is working to harness new talent and to get the new athletes acclimated so they can compete to their fullest. Husack said an important part of the Crimson Tide’s identity as a team this season is the joining of young players and older players, and veterans such as team captain Proskura have a lot to teach the newcomers.

“I couldn’t ask for a better person to fit the role because I know every day he’s bringing intensity,” Husack said of Proskura. “He’s also learning to be a leader to the other guys.”

Proskura, who was recently ranked No. 14 nationally in singles, said he is confident in Alabama’s competitiveness this season, having shown its potential in matches thus far.

“This year I’m really excited about what’s going to happen,” he said. “In San Diego we competed and showed that we can win against good teams.”

(See also “Men’s tennis team to compete in ITA Kick-off“)

As the Crimson Tide prepares to host two competitive teams at home this weekend, hopes for improvement in the matches to come remain high, as do hopes for the Alabama men’s tennis program in general.

“I feel like this team is here to really make a statement about where we want to be,” Husack said. “We want to be a contender in the SEC, and we want to be an NCAA participant at the end of the year, not only in the regional, but also in the final 16. Now it’s just about learning.”

Kevin Connell contributed to this report.