2015 Net News - Jan. 30
1/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Hello from the tennis courts Tide fans,
Back at home and ready to rock n' roll. This weekend we've got a tough opponent from the ACC, Florida State, while the women's team will have TCU of the Big 12 immediately following our match on Saturday.
It promises to be an exciting day of tennis with fast serves, food, festive music and fanfare. The men and women have only played together one other time since I began three years ago (2013 vs. LSU which was played at the same time on the outdoor courts).
Last weekend's trip to North Carolina didn't produce what the Crimson Tide was in search of but not to worry. Match #3 vs. Virginia Tech and #4 vs. Oregon produced good moments for some players with a clear message for the whole team - we are good and need to keep believing that very thing. With the new no-ad format there's a bit of a fine line between being ready and being locked in. It's the same situation for both teams in competition and I believe that both the Hokies and Ducks were better than us at the Kickoff. I saw our doubles teams play aggressive and proactive with big serves, solid returns, net movement and tremendous resolve. And in singles, results were mixed though I know physically the Tide was ready to go. Freshman Danny Kerznerman was awarded the Black Shirt by last week's winner, Korey Lovett. After a very solid 5-day practice week, it will be tough to determine the next winner.
Remember there's the new ITA scoring format which was adopted by the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) this past December. Key points are no-ad/sudden death scoring in singles and doubles; doubles matches are comprised of one set to 6 with a tiebreaker at 6-all; singles matches are two out of three sets to 6 with a tiebreaker at 6-all; no warm-up with opponents in doubles or singles. You'll recognize bright yellow paddles held up by the chair umpire with the Alabama A and GAME POINT on them. They are raised once a game gets to 40-40 or deuce and the next point wins the game.
Another new item we're working on is the match countdown. An official clock starts 60 minutes before the first serve and once the time reaches 0:00, the intent is to have all courts start playing. So in order to get the timing perfected, we are having our PA give the crowd a 2 minute and 1 minute warning, followed by a 10-second countdown. If you're in attendance, please join in with a passionate 10, 9, 8, 7, etc.
Special congrats are in order for Assistant Coach Ryler DeHeart and his wife Megan as they welcomed baby Lily to Tuscaloosa. She was born on Monday, Jan. 26, at 8:52 a.m. and weighed in at 8 ½ lbs and 19 ½ inches long. A true gift to the young couple as they had smiles from ear to ear. Lily now pushes our staff total to 5 - 3 Husacks, 1 DeHeart, 1 Botha. Just need another to field a full lineup!
So we look forward to seeing you on Saturday for tennis and FREE PIZZA too ... slices will be served following the doubles. Also, following the men's match, fans can enjoy live music from Angela and The Able Brothers who are scheduled to perform during the hour leading up to the women's match, which begins at 5 p.m. An acoustic trio covering mostly country, blues and soft rock, Angela and The Able Brothers will be set up outside of the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Facility, beginning play at 4 p.m.
Onward and upward ...
Roll Tide, George
Players Mentioned
