The men’s and women’s tennis teams will be home this weekend to compete against their first Southland Conference opponent of the season, New Orleans.
The Wildcats have begun to make their mark this season, as both teams have had many successful matches so far to bring into the weekend. The men’s team is 2-5 overall entering the weekend, and the women’s team stands with an undefeated record of 2-0.
“I think as a team so far, we’ve only seen constant improvement,” said Jason Proctor, junior from Tulsa, Oklahoma. “The new players are really stepping up, and coming up with some tough wins, while our team as a whole has performed well the whole season thus far.”
Even though the men have not won as many matches as the team would like, the drive to attain them wins is there.
“We are pretty good and we feel comfortable with playing tough people,” Jones said. “I think the same thing has happened with the guys. We haven’t got as many wins, but I keep telling them to come to work because we got to get better.”
Marco Bensley, junior from Stellenbosch, South Africa, said he thinks the team’s successes so far have been contributed by how well the Wildcats are able to push each other and is confident going into the weekend.
“I feel like we have worked really hard to get where we are right now,” Bensley said. “All the guys have done their part. I think we are mixing really well on the court, as we are motivating each other, which is really good.
For future thoughts, the plan is to return and compete successfully against conference opposition. However, Jones’ main goal for the teams is to stay motivated and focused in the current matches.
“I’m just trying to have them stay in this moment and play this match well,” Jones said. “I guess when you keep looking to that stuff, you’ve got to stay right here. Those goals are out there somewhere for sure.”
As for the tournament, there will be free hot dogs and Dr Pepper at the matches for spectators.
The tournament will begin at 11:45 a.m. Friday on the outdoor courts of the Eager Tennis Pavilion.
