So far so good for the University of Alabama men’s tennis team. They currently sit at 3-1 after a pair of season-opening doubleheaders at home in Tuscaloosa. However, this weekend they face their first big test of the young season.

The team will participate in the North Florida Invite in Jacksonville, Florida. this weekend. The tournament features Miami, North Florida, and UNC Wilmington in addition to the Crimson Tide. Regardless of whether Alabama wins or not, they will face each opponent over the course of Friday and Saturday.

Going into the matches, Head Coach George Husack feels confident about where his team is at.

“I feel that last weekend was a great start for us, and we are definitely locked in on competing,” Husack said. “The guys are very excited to compete, and we are definitely ready to compete.”

The team traveled on Thursday for the first time this season. Husack said the team met at 8 a.m. to get some practice in before heading to the airport. The team flew to Jacksonville via Atlanta and only spent around an hour and ten minutes in the air, but the overall process of traveling took the Tide about 8 hours.

“It’s a long day,” Husack said. “It’s pretty easy, but it’s long and it’s draining.”

Being on the road also affects the team’s practices. After arriving in Jacksonville Thursday afternoon the team hit the courts to get in more practice. If they were at home in Tuscaloosa, they would be playing indoors at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility. Instead, they practiced outdoors under the lights.

Husack likes that the matches this weekend are different from what the team has played so far this season.

“It’s good for our guys to be uncomfortable,” Husack said. “It’s good to have these road trips now because when you get to the SEC those weekends are long, so why not get the guys prepared now?”

The Crimson Tide takes on Miami Friday, and then plays North Florida and UNC Wilmington either Friday night or Saturday morning.