They’ve had their breather. Now it’s time to get back into the swing of things.
The men’s tennis team had over a week to prepare since it had this previous weekend off and now the team will head to Montgomery for the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic.
Although the team only had the weekend off due to the fact that it did not qualify for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, coach George Husack is grateful for the extra time to prepare for the Blue Gray tournament. He said it allows the team to have tougher practices yet still have time to recuperate before the tournament starts Friday.
“We just have to bring our level of intensity higher,” he said. “I think we’ve had unbelievable practices. There’s been a disconnect between practices and matches, so the focus is on raising the bar again.”
This disconnect can be seen in the men’s 2-5 record thus far. Why the players’ performances in practice don’t translate into their matches is the question, Husack said.
“It’s odd in that I feel like we have our best team in the three years that I’ve been here,” he said. “Our record isn’t where we may have thought it would be, but it’s also great because it’s really for us – our time to show what we can do. So just put the results aside, and compete.”
With its last matches against both Oklahoma State and Oklahoma ending in losses, the team is looking to bounce back.
“I think we just need to put it in the back of our heads,” freshman Sam Edwards said. “Just get back to work, and keep working on the little things and improving. I think we’ll be ready to go and things will turn around.”
With this being a three-day tournament instead of a single matchup, the team has to be ready for multiple matches and be ready to do whatever it takes out there, Edwards said.
Blue Gray will also mark the start of matches being played outdoors.
“Most of us are just trying to get used to the outdoor conditions again,” senior Andrew Goodwin said. “Since about November, we’ve been hitting indoors everyday.”
Now the team will have to face the outdoor conditions of the cold, the wind and the sun. Although the different conditions make it tougher, the team is excited to start playing outdoors, Goodwin said.
