Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

UMass sets for spring opener

After a solid 6-1 record in their fall campaign, the Massachusetts men’s tennis squad is hoping to make some noise in the Atlantic 10 this spring. Its ultimate goal is to be the first team in UMass men’s tennis history to win the conference tournament. This weekend it begins with a warm-up which will aid them in their quest: The Cornell Invitational.

The other schools involved in this all-weekend event are Marist, Assumption, Cornell, Binghamton College, the University of Buffalo, St. Bonaventure and Ithaca. Led by No. 1 Steve Prisco in flight A along with freshman sensation Brent Davis at the No. 2 spot, the Maroon and White hope to gain some physical and mental preparation out of this pre-season match play.

The remaining flights include Aron Gortman and Todd Champeau in the B flight, Will Shaw and Bill Greener in C flight and Rory Theis and Phil Rodrigues in the D flight. The tandem of Prisco and Davis will battle in the A flight of doubles, as they hope to build upon the success they enjoyed last season.

Gortman and freshman Rory Theis make up the second doubles team in flight A, while flight B includes the pairings of Greener and Rodrigues and Champeau and Shaw.

“In this match play prior to the season, we’re looking to gain mental toughness,” said coach Judy Dixon. “Right now we’re not match-tough and that leads to us making mental errors. We need to be mentally tough as well as physically tough this season.”

With a big match against Colgate at home on Feb. 18, the Minutemen are hoping to leave Ithaca, NY this weekend with a better sense of how much more preparation they will need in order to defeat the Red Raiders, a bitter rival.

“Colgate is an East Regional ranked team. If we were to beat them, then we might get a ranking. It’s definitely a crucial match for us since we have never beaten them before. Plus, we just don’t like them and they hate us too,” Greener said.

Other vital matches for the squad include Duquense on Feb. 10, George Washington on Mar. 10 and Temple on Apr. 7.

“Duquense and G.W. are both A-10 teams so we need to beat them for seeding in the tournament,” Greener said. “We beat G.W. two years ago and then they beat us in a really tough match last year. If we could win that match, it would be great for our confidence. Temple is the favorite to win the A-10 tournament, so if we win that one then we know we have a good shot.”

In order for the Maroon and White to have a shot, they need to step up this spring season, as they have historically played better in the fall. They also need to play more consistently as a team, as during the fall season each player seemed to peak and then fall at different times.

“I’m looking for better production out of the bottom of the lineup as the top of our lineup is really solid,” Dixon said. “We have no easy matches this spring and we typically start strong in the fall and then fade in the spring because of the tough schedule.”

“We need to play at the top of our game consistently and together,” Greener said. “Everyone has been playing scattered. Two or three guys will play well and then it switches. And you need four points to win so that has to change. Every match is a battle and we are going to be in the underdog role a lot.”

Unfortunately for the UMass squad, the battle will not be helped by injuries to key players. Both Prisco and Champeau are struggling with shoulder injuries and Gortman is still suffering from the back spasms that he struggled with last fall.

The most dangerous injury is to Prisco as he is the heart and soul of UMass men’ tennis. With his fiery, competitive edge, he is the leader that could bring them an A-10 title and a NCAA bid.

“This is my senior year so I would love to end by winning the A-10 tournament and travel to some exotic place like Florida for the NCAA tournament,” Greener added. “But without Steve our chances are zero. We need him to get healthy and to not to push himself this weekend if we want to go any further.”

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