2021 NET NEWS, Volume 12
4/14/2021 7:54:00 PM | Men's Tennis
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We have reached the last week of our regular season and "down the stretch we come" like a stampede of horses jockeying for position and looking to get to the wire first. It reminds me of my teen years when I would go to the local racetrack with my family to watch the horses run. My father owned a half dozen or so thoroughbreds while I was in high school and we would watch them race throughout the year. The anticipation as the horses stormed around the far turn and into the home stretch was exhilarating. We cheered our horses on as we wanted their nose to cross the wire ahead of all the others which resulted in a winner's circle photo with my family, horse trainer, jockey and our non-house pet. Like those horses, our team is racing down the long home stretch with some momentum and confidence. After sweeping the Magnolia State over Easter weekend, we backed up those wins with a successful trip to Arkansas and now have two matches remaining before the conference championships. We travel to Baton Rouge and College Station this weekend to make up earlier contests that were postponed against LSU and Texas A&M. Following this pair of battles, we will start a new race back in Fayetteville at the SEC Championships. So there's not much time to look around or get comfortable but rather keep our eyes forward with our blinkers on and full focus on a strong finish.
We traveled to Arkansas last weekend in what was an interesting and lengthy trip. We hopped aboard our first flights in over a year fully equipped with N95 masks and plenty of hand sanitizer. It definitely was a bit weird to be back in an airport again as well as see that travel really had not changed too much. People followed some adjustments to the check in process rather well and we came prepared with snacks and empty bottles to fill up at water stations since there wasn't cart service on board. There really wasn't an easy way to get to Fayetteville so we flew northeast to connect and fly back west to our destination on the outbound flight. Then flew southwest to fly east to Birmingham on the way home. As much as I had preferred flying in the past, I had now realized that bussing is simpler, usually quicker considering all the lead time and connections required and more relaxing and enjoyable (and why we're on a bus this week). We also got to watch our softball team compete at Arkansas as their squad had a 3-game series. This was a rare treat as we had a chance to visit with their players and coaches back at the hotel that both teams called home for a few days. It's always a lot of fun to see other Alabama athletes on the road, and in fact, we flew home with men's and women's swimmers and coaches too.
Back to our match against the Razorbacks ... as expected the Hogs were ready for us with their relentless pursuit of a home upset as were their fans with never ending shouts of "Woo! Pig! Sooie!" that echoed throughout the Billingsley Tennis Center. Arkansas had just returned from the road where they dropped matches at Mississippi State and Auburn, but as we all know, there's no place like home and we were ready for their best effort. Just a week prior they had defeated #3 Tennessee at home which was very impressive.
Doubles began with very breezy conditions and under a hot sun. Both teams held serve rather easily at each doubles spot thru the first four games. Figuring out the spin, movement and change of pace on both sides was much like a baseball player getting used to pitches from a junk baller that could also throw some fast balls.
Edson and Alexey, as well as Patrick and Riccardo, got their service breaks during the fourth games respectively, while Zhe and Marcelo were on serve throughout their set. The chatter by the Hogs and the crowd grew louder, however our guys remained calm and competed very well. Courts 1 & 2 solidified their breaks by holding serve on multiple occasions and gave us a 1-0 lead heading into singles. Point Bama! Roll Tide!
When wild boars attack they usually charge and try to make their victim fall to the ground. If after the initial attack the victim shows movement the wild boar will step back and charge again. The Razorbacks followed suit on court and snatched first sets on four of the six singles courts. We didn't back down and faced their attack head on. The message to the team before the match was to be the better player - to be more resilient and disciplined in tight moments, to be smarter and not give away cheap points, to be braver in tight moments, to accept and handle the weather conditions better than their opponents, to make them play one more ball when pushed in a corner and to remain calm and strong from start to finish. This didn't mean that our guys' ball striking would be pristine or that we would win, but if we were locked in on the competing side then we'd be in a good position to come out on top. Zhe and Jeremy captured their first sets, and ultimately our two-time Most Valuable Competitor, Zhe, shut down his opponent and gave us a 2-0 lead. Arkansas struck back with a victory on court #6 but we matched that result with another notable performance by Riccardo as he surged back in a 3-set slug fest, pushing our lead to 3-1. As I mentioned earlier, the Hogs were relentless and they wanted nothing more than for us to think we had them beat. Maybe that's why they continue to attack their victims if they see movement of any kind. The Hogs snatched a win on court #1 bringing the score to 3-2 while the remaining matches had us up a break in the third set on Patrick's court, but down a break in the third on Jeremy's court. The outcome could go either but the key was to remain calm. Our lanky Finn fired some big first serves and capitalized with strong net play. After an approach shot that resulted in a volley exchange and a running backhand winner, the chair umpire called out "game, set, match Alabama." The team rushed to their man of the hour while PK's opponent completely obliterated his racket with a dozen smashes in the ground. A point penalty was awarded to Jeremy's court who ended up breaking his opponent in Gschwendtner fashion at 4-5, held serve and ultimately stole the match 7-6 (7-5) in the third set with a second serve ace up the "t" for the win and a 5-2 Crimson Tide victory. Match Bama! Roll Tide!
A well fought and executed match under tight conditions and in a tough place to play. We quickly gathered up our belongings, jumped in our vans and headed to the airport. Arkansas had provided a good test for our team and brought the best out of us too. We arrived back in Tuscaloosa well after midnight but the journey wasn't as bad coming home especially with a victory under our belts.
We took Monday off and had some individual workouts on Tuesday before hitting the road again on Wednesday. This trip will be longer than usual since we remain on the road through this weekend and next week. We face LSU at 3:00pm on Thursday followed by Texas A&M at 1:00pm on Saturday. We then continue to Fayetteville for the next "race". We are ready for the next opportunity in front of us and look to have a strong kick in this home stretch. Both matches before the conference tournament will have live stats and stream available so click the links on our schedule page to watch us or follow our social media outlets - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Following Saturday's match against the Aggies we find out our draw and schedule for the SEC Championships which begin on Monday, April 19. While we don't know if our nose will be the first to cross the wire this weekend or if we'll get that photo opp in the winner's circle, our blinkers will be on, ears pinned back and we'll be storming down that home stretch to the wire with a sense of urgency, attention to detail and a love for the competition no matter the conditions.
Roll Tide,
George
George Husack
Head Men's Tennis Coach
University of Alabama
