Starting strong

Men’s tennis grabs two early wins

 

 

The Liberty University men’s tennis team began the spring season on the right foot with match wins against King University and Bluefield State in an afternoon doubleheader at Crosswhite Athletic Club Saturday, Jan. 28.

Beginning the spring season with a doubleheader is not always an ideal way to start off.

However, Assistant Coach Rich Benson explained that these types of matchups work wonders for a team, as they test levels of physicality and endurance.

“There are two reasons why you play two dual matches in the same day,” Benson said.

“A lot of times you do it because you want to get some other guys in the lineup and get some experience right off the bat. The second benefit is to test them physically.”

After a successful fall season in 2016, the team hopes to carry its success into spring.

According to the tennis preseason coaching poll, Liberty is predicted to finish fourth in the Big South Conference.

“What matters is how we do at the end of the season,” Benson said.

“Being picked fourth is a motivation for the guys to say, ‘We are going to do better than that.’”

The team’s schedule will consist mostly of dual matches this semester.

The schedule features key conference matches against James Madison Feb. 4 and Longwood March 1.

“We are going to be right in there fighting for the championship,” Benson said.

“The team that we have right now can win the championship, but we’ve got some work to do to get there. We’ve got a great schedule to give the guys some experience.”

Head Coach Chris Johnson’s team includes seven underclassmen and one junior player, all of whom Johnson believes can compete at the highest level.

“We’ve got eight guys on the team, and they’re fairly equal in ability,” Benson said.

“It is just trying to find the right combination of who’s going to gel well together.”

The fall portion of the season consisted of tournament-style play.

It also was a time where the players were able to work in the weight room and get more experience in a tournament setting.

“It’s a young team,” Benson said.

“This fall, our No. 1 player decided not to come back the week before class started, so I think that kind of rocked the whole team initially because Sam Matheson was going to be a senior. I think the other guys were looking to him to lead, and all of a sudden he wasn’t there, so it was like the sheep scattered for a while. It took all fall to get them back into the fold.”

Due to the youth of the team, the loss of Matheson took everyone by surprise.

However, junior Diego Castano has risen to the occasion to fill the leadership void.

“Our biggest struggle was growing and building relationships,” Castano said.

“It has taken lots of patience, but we have moved past these struggles.”

Chase Burton is one of the freshmen players who has shown great potential during the fall months.

He is also a ranked player, according to the Association of Tennis Professionals.

With a semester of college-level tennis under his belt, he is poised to be a threat coming into this spring season.

“Chase is a good guy with good intentions, and he loves to work hard, and I love to see that,” Castano said.

Benson also commented on Burton’s level of play.

“Chase is an extremely hard worker,” Benson said.

“I think just that fact is going to lend itself to the other guys respecting him for how hard he works. Not only does he work hard on the court, but he is very disciplined with how he eats and sleeps. He trains like a professional athlete.”

Having such a young team can be difficult, especially for the freshmen players who have transitioned from playing junior tennis, games and tournaments, where all competitors are under the age of 18.

Castano remarked on his journey from juniors to college play and said it was all about an attitude adjustment.

“In juniors you are on your own, and even though college is still individual — especially in singles — you are part of a team now,” Castano said.

“I’m not playing for myself, so sometimes you have to put your pride away.”

COPELAND is a sports reporter.