After a strong start, the DePaul men’s tennis team faltered in the 2011-2012 season. Plagued by injuries and bad luck, they were not able to stay above 500, ending their season at 11-15 overall with a 0-2 record in conference play.
“I’ve got to put that year behind me,” said head coach Matt Brothers. With a new roster and experience of the returning players, Brothers is looking to build upon a solid foundation of both old and young guys. Featuring four freshmen in the lineup and a new player that started in January, inexperience may present a concern to some. But for DePaul, the team is confident it can put together a solid season.
Players like sophomore Adam Reinhart have to step up in a leadership capacity in order to show the newer guys the ropes of collegiate tennis, an invaluable learning tool for newcomers.
“Team chemistry is off the charts this year,” said Reinhart. “All the guys are great and we have really bonded both on and off the court.” The difference between this year and last year will be the injuries. “Physically and mentally, we are in a place we need to succeed and every week we try to push that limit,” said Reinhart. “That’s how you improve.”
Brothers carefully monitors the progress of all of his athletes, making sure they aren’t feeling too overwhelmed or disconnected from the team philosophy.
“The young guys are really buying into the program and what we are about. It really couldn’t be better,” said Brothers. “We look for improvement every week. It’s just how we go about each practice and each week.” Reinhart describes every week as a “grind.” In order to avoid the forgettable end to last year’s season, the team must focus on creating a cohesive environment.
“We need better chemistry, which we now have this year,” said Reinhart. “We need to be better at supporting each other and keeping positive attitudes, and I think we are getting much better at that.”
The schedule may be less intense than last year, but that doesn’t mean the team won’t run into some challenging matches.
“Last year’s schedule was stronger than this year’s. It’s not too far behind but it’s tough to gauge because teams fluctuate often. I intentionally pulled back on the schedule this year because I knew we were going to have a younger team,” said Brothers. “Our big home matches are Cal-Irvine – they’re usually a team that is in the rankings – and Cal- Poly.”
Other notable matches include Oregon, Arizona and longtime rival Marquette. Collegiate tennis has a ranking system in which NCAA officials rank the top 75 schools out of 300. The NCAA does not currently rank DePaul.
“If you’re out of the top 75, it’s tough to gauge exactly where you are. I don’t have expectations at all for this season,” said Brothers. “However, I think these guys could really surprise me in a good way. We played a tight match against Purdue last weekend with one of our guys out, and I think with a little bit more match experience it could have gone a different way.”
The tennis team plays its home matches at Lake Shore Athletic Club on Fullerton, across the street from the 1237 West Lofts. Lots of students have been out to see the team play, and DePaul student Alvin Sandique plans on attending a match soon.
“I love the sport and college tennis is played at a very high level,” said Sandique. “I watch all the majors so I figure why not go out and support the tennis players here as well.”
