Closing off the regular SEC season on the road, Alabama men’s tennis will head to Vanderbilt on Sunday. Having claimed the win last season against Vanderbilt at home, 4-1, the Crimson Tide hopes to take the victory once again this year.
“[Vanderbilt] is a very good team,” coach George Husack said. “But I expect us to prepare for this weekend like we would any other weekend.”
With its only match being on Sunday, the team will have an extra couple of days to practice. Husack said he expects a hard match out of Vanderbilt. He sees an opportunity to compete and succeed this weekend.
“We took it to them last year but it was a battle,” senior Andrew Goodwin said. “We’re expecting the same this year. It’s probably going to be tougher.”
Vanderbilt returned many of the same players from last year, having only lost one and has been having a good year, Goodwin said.
As its last regular-season match draws near, the season seems to have flown by for the team. Husack thinks that the team is just getting started, though. Seasons have never gone by slowly in his 19 years of coaching, Husack said. Just like this one, they all seem to fly by.
“It’s bittersweet really,” senior Stuart Kenyon said. “It’s upsetting that it’s our last SEC match. It seems like has it flown by, all these years and even just this season.”
Goodwin agreed that bittersweet is the perfect word to describe this last match. To them, it feels like their fall season was just yesterday but here they are, preparing for this final Sunday afternoon match.
“It’s tough but we’re looking forward to finishing the regular season on a high note but we’re excited for the postseason play,” Goodwin said.
Husack said it’s not bittersweet yet because he hopes and plans to continue the season into May. Alabama’s time playing isn’t over with this match and there are opportunities to lengthen the season. Although it would be nice to end on a good note with a win this weekend, Goodwin said, the team will not be treating it any differently than other matches.
“Whether it’s my last [match] or my first one, it’s always important to finish well,” Husack said.
