Men's and women's tennis teams improve

By: Jasmine Troche

Posted: 3/27/09

Jasmine Troche

Staff Writer

Men's

With less then half the season to go, the men's tennis team continues to work hard to win more matches.

The team holds an 8-5 record so far, and are training hard individually as well as focusing on their doubles so they can overcome their weaknesses.

The men earned two wins against Dowling of New York (9-0) and against Queens from New York (6-3). These were two teams Florida Southern College had not played against in previous seasons.

With the two tough wins, the men showed that they are always prepared to take on a challenge.

One of their biggest challenges is to be able to compete in the Sunshine State Conference.

"We can maybe turn it out," sophomore Ben Taylor said.

The last three matches the team will face are against SSC schools. On March 31 they play St. Leo at home, on April 1 they play at Rollins, and on April 3 they play at Florida Tech.

The Mocs took a step backward in their most recent match against Savannah College. The team fell short, losing 3-6.

"We weren't sure what to expect," Taylor said.

The men's tennis team has shown that they have the potential to compete with high level opponents, but feel they need more wins under their belt.

Reflecting back on the first half of the season, head coach Trey Heath said that there were one or two matches that the team could have won but is pleased with the overall performance from his team.

"There should always be improvement," Heath said, "We are always working on something."

Heath also said that the match against Savannah was an eye opener for the team, proving to themselves that they had the abilities of competing at a higher level.

The men's tennis team is close to being able to turn the rest of their season around. The team must execute their goals as their season begins to slowly come to an end, Heath said.

So far their hard work has paid off, earning them a good record. Getting motivation not only from Heath but well as from one another, the team remains focused on ending the season strong.

Women's

With three straight wins, the women's tennis team continues to improve their record as the season progresses.

The Lady Mocs won against two of the three schools they recently played in California: Hope International (8-1) and Cal Poly Pomona (6-3).

The women only experienced one loss on the trip against Cal- San Diego (3-6).

"I think it's really good," sophomore Amanda Carns said.

The women's hard work and dedication paid off, with an 11-3 record. Even with the three losses, the team continues to keep their heads up.

"The schools that we have lost to were really good schools," sophomore Ashley Hungerford said.

As for the schools the team faced in California, the women were pleased with the performances as well as the competitive level they faced from these schools previously not familiar to them.

On March 14, the Florida Southern Mocs dominated the single and doubles matches against Lincoln Memorial with a 9-0 score.

Individual players continued to improve their personal records while helping the team reach success. And many of the girls have made big improvements on their records from last season.

"Not only our singles but our doubles have also gotten better," Carns said.

Despite the challenges of having doubles, it has become something the team is working hard to get better at.

The improvement has given the team a boost needed to continue with a positive attitude, which they had while conquering Rhode Island, a Division I team. The Florida Southern Mocs hosted Rhode Island in what became one of the longest lasting matches of the season.

"We have had a good season," sophomore Veronika Kovacikova said.

The women said they are filled with anticipation to finish up the season and hope that they can continue to do well so they can have a shot to win the Sunshine State Conference.

The Lady Mocs host Northwood in a match at 3 p.m. and will have a home Sunshine State Conference match against Rollins on March 31. The last home match of the season will be against rival University of Tampa on Apr. 2.