Tide Men's Tennis Opens Southeastern Conference Play
3/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
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The 24th-ranked University of Alabama men’s tennis team enters the next phase of its season, opening its conference schedule Friday on the road at No. 2 Ole Miss (8-1, 0-0 SEC) before facing No. 43 Mississippi State (3-2, 0-0 SEC) in Starkville on Sunday.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to play against Ole Miss,” Alabama head coach Billy Pate said. “We feel like we have a chance, if we play well, to be successful in Oxford on Friday. Starting the SEC season there is a challenging task, but at the same time it’s like a new season for us. For all teams in the conference, the SEC season is how your year is defined in a lot of ways.”
On Sunday, Pate returns to his alma mater to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
“They are very under-rated and under-ranked. Their only two losses are against (No. 2) Ole Miss and (No. 6) Baylor, and they’re battle-tested with very good wins over Tulane and South Alabama.”
“If we focus on the rankings it will be a recipe for disaster, but I don’t think our guys are looking at it that way. They understand that it’s very important for us to have a good start in conference play right off the bat against two very good teams.”
