After finishing the 2017 campaign with a seventh-place finish at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships, the Waynesburg University men’s tennis team is itching to improve on that finish this Friday and Saturday.
Last season, then-sophomore Jonah Cooper grabbed the only win for the Yellow Jackets at the event, and it was by default.
Head coach Ron Headlee has strong expectations for his team, and is confident that when his top players are at their best, they can compete with anyone in the conference.
“Last year was not a good experience, so I’d like to get some guys in the semifinals and place at least in the top three,” said Headlee. “I think our first four guys there have a shot at doing that if they just play up to their ability. That’s what we’re shooting for.”
Coming off a 6-3 loss at the hands of Geneva, Headlee feels that his team is playing better than the scores may have dictated in recent weeks. In the match against the Golden Tornadoes, Cooper and junior Josh Denham grabbed an 8-5 win at first doubles and Cooper and senior Adam McKnight both won in straight sets in their respective singles matches. In the third singles set, senior Andy Brunette lost a grueling 20-18 tiebreaker that Headlee felt could have changed the complexion of the entire match.
“I think our guys are playing the best tennis they have during the year,” Headlee said.
The Yellow Jackets boast a 6-9 overall record as of April 24, and managed a 2-6 PAC record during conference play this season as the team sits in seventh place in the standings. After finishing last season with a 5-13 overall record, Headlee had many expectations for the team this season, and feels the team has met those expectations to this point at a commendable level.
“My biggest goal for them going into this season was just more consistency. I think they are, and I think they’re playing longer into the points, not trying to end them right away and just staying back with the teams and hitting with them,” said Headlee. “We still need to get better at our serving, we’re still double-faulting some and that’s easy points I don’t like to give away. The consistency has been a lot better staying in points like that.”
One thing the team will have to overcome, Headlee said, is the fact that the PAC Championships are held indoors at the Pennbriar Athletic Club in Erie, Pennsylvania. After competing outdoors all season long, the Yellow Jackets will have to adjust to the circumstances of playing indoor tennis.
“It’s a little different indoors—you play outdoors all season and then you play indoors and you have to change your game simply because the nets on the side are a little bit closer and you don’t have as much room to run on the sides and things like that—so that could change a little bit,” Headlee said.
The PAC Championships will take place April 27 and 28, with all teams in the conference competing against one another for the opportunity to win individual and team titles.
“My goal is that I’d like to see a PAC champ, and I think it just depends on who goes in and plays with determination,” Headlee said. “They’ve played with all those guys—now I just think it’s a lot more mental than it is anything else. You have to believe in your strokes at that time. There’s a lot of pressure on you and you just have to fight through that pressure and just have to be able to hit your shots and believe in it.”