Tennis teams look for ace of a season

It’s that time of year again, time for men in sporty shorts and women in tennis skirts.

The fall tennis season starts for the Georgia College & State University Bobcats next Friday, Sept. 27, and Friday, Oct. 4 for the women’s team.

According to GC&SU Head Tennis Coach Steve Barsby, the season ahead for the men’s team looks “promising” and the women’s team holds tons of “potential.”

“I think the men’s team will do better,” Barsby said. “With the new guys we brought in and the way the guys from last year are playing right now, I think we are going to be better. Our goal last year was to get our team into the top 20 for the national rankings. I think that we should be able to get it, if we keep playing and practicing like we have.”
Barsby hopes the men’s team will qualify for the regional tournament and improve their standing in the Peach Belt Conference. The team ranked 6th last year.

“The guys have come in and started to work hard right off the bat,” Barsby said. “The three new guys started to work hard. I definitely think we should be better. It’s tough to get in the regionals. We have to play well to get there. I think if we keep playing like we are now, then we will.”

Based on the assets of the women’s team, Barsby predicts they will play in the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

“I think, with the level of girls we have right now, our goal has stepped up to going to the national tournament and being one of the 16 in the final tournament of the year,” Barsby said. “I think right now it looks like we are good enough to get there. Obviously a lot of things have to go well at the end of the season. It could be obtained if we play well.”

Although the women’s team lacks size, they appear to have the depth
needed to do well this season.

“On the women’s side, losing Julia is going to hurt us,” Barsby said. “I think with the girls we’ve brought in, we might not be as good as the top. We’re going to be deeper down the line. That is something we haven’t had over the last couple years. We’ve always been really good at the top, but we are going to be good at the top and a little deeper down the line. They have been real intense in workouts.”

Barsby pushes the men’s team to be aggressive in their game.

“One thing I really try to focus on is doubles and intensity. With the girls, I focus on repetition,” Barsby said. “If they keep working like they have, then they will get their goal.”

Most of the players are international students. The reputation of both teams contributes to the recruitment of these athletes. The women’s team ranks 14th in the (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) ITA 2001-2002 NCAA II Spring Rankings. The men’s team ranks 33rd in the ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings 2002 Men’s Team National Rankings.

The men’s team will play their first game of the season at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27. They will continue to play all day Saturday, and Sunday. The women’s team will play their first game at the regional tournament Friday, Oct. 4 in Wilson, N.C.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 20 2002. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry