Winning in dominant fashion, the men's tennis team beat out the University of Dubuque and the University of Indianapolis Saturday. Ranked No. 18, the Tigers won both games by a score of 8-1, improving to 3-0 with these first wins of 2011.
The game against Dubuque was the team's first competitive match since September, but the team worked tirelessly through the off-season to prepare. The athletes trained extensively in the weight room and in practice matches to build up the endurance needed to stay sharp, even after long days on the court.
Head coach Scott Riggle firmly believes the team's hard work during pre-season paid off on Saturday.
"We played two three-setters and we won both of them. It's a measure of [the players'] hard work that they were able to pull out a couple close matches like that," he said.
Riggle's success stems from the classic coaching philosophy of dealing with improvement during the week and playing well on the weekend.
"We don't really play for the rankings, we just try to...keep improving and take each match one at a time," he said.
These first matches were also valuable in establishing the team's mentality for the season. Freshman Ben Kopecky was among the players on the court and was glad to get some games under his belt. He won both of his singles matches and came close in a triple tie-breaker loss in a doubles match alongside fellow freshman Sam Miles against Indianapolis.
For Kopecky, these games were about starting the season strong by playing intelligently and with intensity. With two solid wins now sealed, he's focusing on helping maintaining the team's momentum.
"It's a long season and a lot can change." Kopecky said. "It's a matter of everybody staying healthy and being able to come out every match and face it like this is the biggest match of the season."
Sophomore Reid Garlock agrees that the Tigers' key to success is their passion.
"Our team is really loud, intense, and enthusiastic and we like to get the crowd into the match and feed off their energy," Garlock said.
The team's next games will be at home on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Grand Valley State and on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. against Luther College.