GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Both the men's and women's tennis teams will head to Florida next weekend but before that, they have some matches scheduled against local programs. The women host Hope College tonight at 6 p.m. at MVP Sportsplex and will follow with a match next week against Ferris State while the men will be playing in a doubles tournament hosted by Hope College. Both teams enter the weekend ranked No. 24 in the NAIA Top-25 polls.
Head coach
Patrick Grashorn has put together a grueling early season schedule and with one more week before leaving for Florida for their annual spring break trip, answered a few questions to preview the upcoming matches.
So far both teams have played tough competition, how has that prepared the team for the rest of the spring?
Both teams open up with a tough schedule but part of that was by design. We will be going into some tight NAIA match ups starting on spring break and I wanted to make sure we would be ready for what they bring.
The women took a tough loss to Western, how will they bounce back?
As I told the team, the Western match was an opportunity to work. Our goal was to push them and we did that in a few spots. I know that some of the girls weren't entirely satisfied with their play but all are ready for the next opportunity to compete.
Who are some of the players that have stepped up and become vocal leaders of the teams in the "pre-season"
Everyone has been bringing their own thoughts and opinions to the table this year which is good to have. Although I've not named captains, the seniors have taken it upon themselves to get everyone fired up before matches.
The men have just one match left before heading to Florida, what will you look for in that match to prepare for some tough matches in the Sunshine State?
Although it is just doubles, I'm looking forward to seeing how we do at the tournament. I believe there are still some question marks regarding the pairings and doubles lineup and this should make any necessary changes become apparent.
The women will play one of the best teams in the MIAA (Hope) and one of the best in the GLIAC (Ferris State) - how does competing well in these matches help you in recruiting when it comes against in-state programs?
DU is still relatively unknown to many local players and across the state of Michigan. It helps tremendously when we can show recruits how we've down against some of the more recognizable competition in the area. These are schools we are competing against for recruits as well so it all helps.
Tennis Contact:
Aaron Sagraves | 616-554-5045 |
asagraves@davenport.edu
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