The men’s tennis team was defeated in the last match 4-3, but they continue on in the MEAC Round-up against Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss. this Sunday.
The Rattlers are still ranked in the top 80 percent with a season record 14-5. The team is staying focused and will try to come out on top against Southern Mississippi. The matches lost were to ranked schools.
“We try not to do anything different because we were playing really well,” Michael Moore said. “When everyone is relaxed we play our best.”
The team’s first priority before the match is to find out the status of Levan Clark’s injury. Hopefully everything check’s out well and he will be able to play in the next match against their opponents.
“We got to get him checked out tomorrow morning to see if he will be able to play,” Coach Carl Goodman said.
The Rattlers are physically in shape and have been practicing their hardest. Their match against Troy University hopefully has given the team some new insight on their next match.
“They are playing extremely well and they are physically fit,” Goodman said.
They have five matches plus three conference matches left for the season. They are expected to play South Carolina State (next Saturday), Lamar University and then South Carolina State again in the finals.
“Were down to eight so basically as long as we don’t loose the last three matches then we’re in pretty good shape,”
The Rattlers will be relying on preparation from previous matches and the steady workouts they have been doing all season. Their routine is strong and solid and will give them an advantage in the next match.
“We have a tough match and we will definitely try to learn from our mistakes and try to pull out a win tomorrow against Southern Miss.” Goodman said.
From one match to another the team is on the road headed to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. There main goal is to get some rest and mentally prepare for the match ahead. The team hopes to apply what they learned from the last match to this one.