2015 Net News - March 13
3/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Roll Tide from Tuscaloosa!
Bama men's tennis has now completed 20 matches thru the first seven weeks of our season. One common theme that has developed over this time period is that our young team of competitors is significantly getting better with each ball they see, run down and hit whether in practice or competition. This improvement isn't by happenstance but rather by the ability to face experiences head on and learn from them. The beauty of this path is that we have many more matches in front of us and we're fired up to keep the Tide rising.
Last week's action first took us to Fayetteville though threats of freezing rain, snow and chilly temps almost kept us grounded at Tuscaloosa Regional Airport. We were very fortunate to have a confident and experienced flight crew taking us across the friendly skies in the athletic department's plane. The trip to Arkansas was just over an hour and we were ready to face a much improved Razorback team. There were several chances missed during the doubles which put Bama in the hole 1-0 heading into singles. After a couple of singles matches completed in straight sets we found ourselves trailing 3-0 with four matches remaining on court. While it's nice to get off to a quick start and win the first set, three of these matches had the Crimson and White lose the first frame and require a few adjustments to be made heading into set No. 2. Freshman Danny Kerznerman didn't need any tinkering and continued to slug balls with his opponent and move closer to a straight-set victory. Becker O'Shaughnessey, Nikko Madregallejo and Korey Lovett, however, reversed their first set tallies and were taking their matches to three sets with aggressive movement and attacking play. Big Beck was first off the court bullying his opponent and trimming the lead to 3-1 Arkansas. Moments later Nikko provided a picture perfect final set and another "W" to make it 3-2. When the Brooklyn beast Kerznerman was done with his bare knuckle fight filled with double digit rallies, the score was now 3-3 and all eyes focused on court No. 1. Korey had used big serves and steady play from the baseline to put himself in a position to clinch the match. He welcomed the pressure of being the last match on and embraced the moment with excitement and determination. Teammates cheered on their guy, doing all they could to help claim victory while coaches called in tips, encouragement and belief. When the last point was completed Arkansas had pulled ahead for good and snatched a 4-3 victory from the Tide. Korey was courageous in defeat and would remember this learning experience in his young college career. The trip back to Tuscaloosa was quiet, however, as I stated earlier, we greatly improved with this match, and I was confident that our team would respond well against Ole Miss just two days later.
So Saturday morning brought a bounce house, face painters, Big Al, Bama cheerleaders, the Rebels and sunshine to our home courts. What a pleasant surprise to compete again outside and with warmth in the air. The No. 9 Rebels were unable to play against Mississippi State due to poor weather conditions and the absence of an indoor facility in Starkville, so they were fresh and eager to compete. Our guys had enjoyed a tasty breakfast at the Capstone Hotel that morning and were ready to do the same. Doubles did not start off on the right foot as all three Alabama teams were down quickly. Becker and Korey fell victim to an early service break, however, captain Stuart Kenyon and Sean Donohue rallied to even the doubles matches at one apiece. Danny and Nikko could not find their mojo, and once again, Bama found itself in a hole. The message in the locker room was loud and clear ... we were better than what we showed, we had more energy to help fuel us in singles and today was going to be the day that the guys made a choice - get pushed over or push back.
Well I'm not sure if it was history on our side (last three outings vs. Ole Miss have produced some great tennis) or Mother Nature's sun that ignited our comeback, but push back these Bama boys did. We were fortunate to get a quick early point as Nikko's opponent rolled his ankle badly during the fourth game of the first set and was forced to retire. After Danny went down to a rough Stefan Lindmark at No. 2 pushing Ole Miss out to a 2-1 lead, Stuart outhit and outperformed his Rebel counterpart bringing the score to 2-2. Korey was at No. 1 and facing three-time All American Nik Scholtz who also sported a 439 ATP singles ranking ... not too bad for a college player. Our freshman was possessed, eating up the excitement of the opportunity as well as the cheers from the home crowd (and a couple of Rebel fans that did a great job of making their presence known). After a quick first set, Korey jumped out to another big lead and really took it to his senior opponent with big serves, big forehands, and simply put, big play. Bama 3, Ole Miss 2.
Now it came down to courts 3 and 6 where junior Becker O'Shaughnessey and freshman Sam Edwards were doing their best to clinch the match. Becker had captured the first set and broke his opponent at 4-3 in the second to have the opportunity to serve out the match. Sam, meanwhile, was playing in his first SEC match which happens to come with a small bottle of nerves and anxiety. The Suwanee native calmed down after dropping the first set to take a 4-3 lead of his own in the second. On the second point of the next game however, Sam rolled his ankle badly and needed a medical timeout. As I stood next to Sam we both heard the eruption on court 3 where Beck had moved closer to match point. We were both pretty focused on Sam's ankle though the temptation to stand up and watch the action was there. As I heard a loud pop from a serve, followed by a loud "COME ON!" and roar by the home crowd, I looked at Sam and our trainer Katie and said "We won!" What a thrill and day I wouldn't forget. The guys had gotten over a hump that seemed to get bigger and bigger with each narrow defeat but they fought, they believed and they overcame the challenge in front of them - regardless of Ole Miss' national ranking or anything that came before that day. I collapsed onto the court and lied there for a few minutes taking it all in, as well as allowing my back to keep from hurting as I had a disk bulge earlier that afternoon. Sam and Katie hobbled over to the dogpile and the celebration continued.
While I got to watch Becker's match point on video later that evening after we claimed two additional victories (over Alabama State 5-0 & 4-1), I'd have to say that listening to this victory was better than seeing it. As Alabama men's golf coach Jay Seawell once told Coach Saban to "let the horses run," this young group of stallions ran their way to a memorable day that would be talked about for a little while ...
Onward to Auburn for the Iron Bowl of tennis on Friday the 13 of all things and a 4 p.m. match. We then head south to the swamp in Gainesville and a wrestling match with the Gators on Sunday at Noon Tuscaloosa time. We appreciate all the support we've received thus far this season and look forward to continuing our improvement, growth and quest to keep the Tide rising. Come join us on the road or scream and shout from in front of your computer. It's game time.
Roll Tide, George
Players Mentioned
