Alabama men’s tennis sent six athletes to the CBB Collegiate Invitational on Nov 13-15 in Birmingham, Alabama. The Country Club of Birmingham and The University of Alabama will host the tournament.

The Crimson Tide will send junior Hayes Brewer, sophomore Sam Edwards, sophomore Danny Kerznerman, sophomore Matthew Rossouw, redshirt freshman Langord Hills and freshman Spencer Richey to the tournament. The event will feature both doubles and singles play. Both kicked off on Friday.

“If we get confidence playing matches in the fall, hopefully that will carry over into the spring,” Hills said.

The tournament this weekend is a compass draw, which every player involved will get the chance to play four singles matches and three doubles matches regardless of wins or losses. The tournament will give the players an opportunity to get in more matches to prepare for the season in the spring.

“At the end of the day, you have to be competing at your best to succeed,” said head coach George Husack. “The more competition, the better.”

Many of Alabama’s tennis players have been competing in multiple tennis tournaments to get in a rhythm before the season starts in January. Playing in multiple tournaments helps the players get used to the competitive environment.

The tournament will be played on a clay surface, as opposed to the hard court surface the players usually play on. The clay surface slows the game down and makes points harder to get.

“Movement is a lot more important, because you slide into your shots,” Brewer said. “It is definitely a different game. It is tougher to attack and put the points away.”

This will be one of Alabama’s last tournaments before heading into the break, and then into the season in January. On Friday, the team picked up eight wins.

“It is important that everyone finishes out playing the game style they want and playing the way they want to in these last matches,” Brewer said.