The men’s and women’s tennis teams are both beginning their 2012 spring seasons this weekend.
The men will travel to KY, while the women stay in Abilene and face four opponents including Lone Star Conference foe Texas A&M University – Kingsville.
Head coach Hutton Jones is confident in both the guys and girls clubs this spring.
“I have a high hopes for both of these teams,” said Jones. “The potential is there to have a better season than we’ve ever had. We’ve been very successful in the past and with the pieces we currently have there is no reason we can’t go a step further this year.”
“Both squads are in the top 10 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, so we have solid teams,” said Jones. “My goal this spring however, is to progress through the season, play better tennis, and get stronger physically. Our tough schedules in combination with a lot of double-headers should allow us to do that.”
The guys have been as far as the quarterfinals of the Division II tournament, while the girls have reached the semifinals twice.
The men were supposed to have a match-up against the formidable University of Oklahoma on Jan. 24, however it was cancelled. As a result, they play Murray State University at 9 a.m. and the University of Southern Indiana at 2 p.m. in Murray, KY on Friday, Feb. 3 for their first two matches of the season.
On Saturday, Feb. 4 the men travel to Richmond, KY and face-off against Eastern Kentucky University and Northern Kentucky University at 1 p.m. (ET) and 6 p.m. (ET), respectively.
The team ends their road trip in Lexington, KY on Sunday, Feb. 5 by playing NCAA Division I school and South Eastern Conference member University of Kentucky. The Wildcats are ranked in the top 20 in the preseason poll. The time for the clash is yet to be determined.
Jones said the meets this weekend are designed to give the ‘Cats plenty of match play.
“The guys play three solid Division I schools. Eastern Kentucky won their DI conference last year and Murray State is always good. Playing four and five matches in one weekend puts you two weeks ahead.”
The women’s squad has one more match on Saturday, Feb. 4 before Kingsville. At 9 a.m., the Wildcats play Prairie View A&M University.
Sunday, the ‘Cats take on Division I opponent Sam Houston State University at 12 p.m., then later finish off the weekend against the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. The Permian Basin match starts at 5 p.m.
“We should be competitive against some of the Division I schools,” said Jones. “I want my guys and girls to have the desire to win each match no matter who the opponent.”
