Net News - March 6
3/6/2020 9:34:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March Madness has begun!
A term synonymous with college basketball, March is also known for the start of the SEC tennis season. The weekly competition in a conference that "just means more" kicked off last weekend and continues on the men's side through the Sunday after Easter in Fayetteville, Arkansas at the SEC Championships. Following our journey to Gainesville, Florida and Columbia, South Carolina, where we covered more than 1,200 miles round trip in the air, we returned home and host the next five SEC matches at the friendly confines of the University of Alabama Tennis Stadium. To repeat what Judy Garland said when she clicked her heels in Victor Fleming's Wizard of Oz, "there's no place like home." In less than 12 hours, the first Friday Night Lights of the Spring season takes place with the visiting Kentucky Wildcats on March 6 at 6pm. Then on Sunday, March 8 at 1pm we host the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Before providing more details of the upcoming weekend, let's quickly review our matches with the Gators and Gamecocks. Florida was picked to win the SEC according to the coaches' preseason poll earlier in the year and returned all but one letter winner to their starting lineup. We saw that as both a challenge and opportunity as the guys had a strong, yet abbreviated, training week leading up to the contest and gained more belief following our Blue Gray showing. While the result was unknown, one thing that was certain would be a popular restaurant pick while in Gainesville. Bento, a quick, casual pan-Asian eatery had become a team favorite as it was conveniently located within walking distance of our hotel.  Their unique and flavorful dishes were discovered last April at the SEC Championships so there was no way we wouldn't have at least a couple of meals there while in town. We also caught up with former Alabama women's head coach Jim Tressler, his fiancé Olga and Jim's son Travis who was a team manager during his time in Tuscaloosa. Former player Sam Vuille, who was on Alabama's 1976 SEC Championship squad, was in attendance sporting his letterman's jacket with pride and cheering on the Crimson Tide.
We split the first pair of doubles matches to start the match. Edson "El Toro" Ortiz and Marcelo "El Gusano" Sepulveda Garza defeated their 33rd ranked foes rather swiftly at #2 doubles, however Gator wins at #1 and #3 pushed the home team up by a point as we headed into the intermission. Time to reset and respond in singles. All of our guys were up for the challenge and surged ahead on several courts while a few forced third sets – Zhe Zhou, Alexey Nesterov and Jeremy Gschwendtner. Momentum swung our way for many portions of the match but it wasn't enough to impact the overall score. The Gators outcompeted us which had not happened to our team this season so the preseason pollsters voted correctly in this dual. Match Florida…Reset!
After a delayed but quick flight to Charlotte and drive down to Columbia, the team prepared for an afternoon practice.  It was necessary to address being outcompeted on Friday night and also know that South Carolina was not going to feel sorry for us. They had gotten off to a hot start this Spring, having reached the ITA National Team Indoor Championships and now we were in their house. Can you say home cooking on the menu?
The coaches challenged the team to "lose themselves" in the competition. To not think and simply compete. Would we execute our game plan and seek to take control against the favored Gamecocks from start to finish? How would we respond when we could not take control of points? What mattered most was our willingness and ability to compete regardless of where we were, who we were playing, what happened before and how things could shake down. Again, don't think. Compete.
Sunday's doubles began with yet another split of the top two spots. Alexey "The Hammer" Nesterov and Patrick "The Flying Finn" Kaukovalta dropped their match to 2019 NCAA singles champion Paul Jubb and partner Raphael Lambling. El Toro Ortiz and El Gusano Sepulveda Garza evened the quest for the doubles point with a solid win at #2. Zhe and Riccardo "Big Train" Roberto were up a service break on court 3 but the heat was on. The senior from Tianjin, China reached match point at 5-4, 40-15, but the Gamecocks played a pair of very good points which lead to a match point-break point scenario at deuce. Compete, don't think. First serve and look to finish. Well, Zhe and Riccardo did just that with a powerful serve to their opponent's forehand which forced a return that went long. Doubles Point Bama! Roll Tide!
One point seemed like a lot but really it is simply just one point. Need to get four points to win, but if you think about the end result, you can get what Stealers Wheel sang and released in 1972, "stuck in the middle with you." So the answer was compete. Everyone was responsible for their court and only their court. Strive to make your opponent uncomfortable with purpose-driven execution. If and when they return the favor, eat up the challenge by adapting, adjusting and reversing the tables. The Gamecock crowd grew and they were going to be the home team's 7th man in the singles lineup. South Carolina leveled the score at 1-1 and then inched ahead 2-1 with wins at #1 and #3 respectively. Our Flying Finn Patrick let his serve fly here, there and everywhere and pushed past his extremely vocal opponent on court #4 that evened things at 2-2. Jeremy "Romeo" Gschwendtner pushed us back ahead 3-2 with a solid performance at #6, but South Carolina responded immediately thereafter with a tight win at #2 to bring all eyes on court #5 with the score 3-3. Don't think, compete.
Alexey had forced a tiebreaker in the second set and sprinted out to an insurmountable lead to win the frame and forced a final set. Interestingly enough, two years ago we were on the same court in a similar situation. Match tied 3-3 with a 3rd set underway. Alexey had been in a few final matches this season so the experience was there. He strutted around the court with confidence and swung freely that put constant pressure on his opponent. He kept control of the points and executed his game plan. There were only two times that he didn't hit the ball with much conviction, and after losing the points quickly, he reminded himself out loud to "go for your shots Alexey!" Well, one service break led to another and Alexey was up 5-2. His teammates cheered on as the story unfolded and ultimate was won when Alexey's opponent missed a volley wide after a confident forehand passing shot was struck from our senior. Bama 4, South Carolina 3. Match Bama! Roll Tide! Following a celebratory meal at Sam "Straight Fire" Fischer's favorite spot, Cookout, the team cruised up the highway to Charlotte International for a smooth flight home to Birmingham Shuttlesworth.
Now we're back in Tuscaloosa host our next five matches with plenty of great tennis and promotions as well. Here's a rundown what's on tap:
- Friday, March 6 at 6pm vs. Kentucky…FREE Moe's Burritos for fans, Head Rowing Coach Glenn Putyrae is the Honorary First Server & we welcome men's club players from Indian Hills Country Club, North River Yacht Club and the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center for a round-robin mixer prior to the start of the match.
- Sunday, March 8 at 1pm vs. Vanderbilt…FREE grilled hamburgers and hot dogs sponsored by the Crimson Racket Club, Alabama QB Mac Jones is the Honorary First Server, Alabama Tennis Kids Day with FREE kids giveaway bag, Big Al in attendance, bounce house for the kids to get their sillies out & we welcome Holy Spirit Catholic School students, families, faculty and staff to the match for a second consecutive year.
- Sunday, March 15, Friday, March 20 & Sunday, March 22 vs. Auburn at 1pm, Georgia at 6pm and Tennessee at 1pm…Spring Break SEC Special…stop by before, during or after your Spring Break for FREE tennis action against a strong trio of conference foes.
If you can't join us in town then remember to follow our progress online with the live stats and live stream links above. We look forward to seeing everyone for our SEC home opening weekend, and remember…
Don't Think, COMPETE!
Roll Tide,
George
