Roll Tide Bama Tennis Fans,
We’ve just about reached the halfway point of the SEC season with our 6th of 12 conference matches taking place this Sunday in College Station, Texas against the Aggies of A&M. We’re coming off a solid homestand that saw the team battle from start to finish against Mississippi State, and every Alabama fans’ favorite, Auburn. Both matches brought super crowds to both the Alison Baumgardner Indoor Tennis Facility and University of Alabama Tennis Stadium. Spring Breakers returned home and brought their passionate support in the form of hollers and cheers to provide us with a tremendous home court feel. So it was far from “quiet on the Southern front” (reference from last week’s Net News).
Mother Nature moved us indoors on Friday and we stayed outside on Sunday until the last few moments of the Iron Bowl contest. We definitely looked prepared and ready to go on both days after refreshing and reenergizing throughout the weeklong break. What resulted was a split decision with a narrow defeat against the Bulldogs and a resounding win against the Tigers.
Not much separated the winner and loser on Friday night. Rain had begun to drop in the mid-afternoon so we pushed our start back by thirty minutes and squared off against Hail State inside the friendly confines of the RAB. The match marked the return to Tuscaloosa for one of Alabama’s best competitors, Andrew Goodwin, who now sported maroon and white gear as assistant coach for our opponents. Always great to see “Goodie” as there aren’t many student-athletes who put so much into his tennis game on a daily basis. We became a better program while he was on our team not only for his contributions in between the lines but also due to his character, integrity and tenacity. Now he’s in a position to share his experience and knowledge with players. Couldn’t be a better profession for him even if it means we have to square off against each other.
Doubles action that night was riveting as Riccardo and Zhe claimed a swift and efficient win at the #3 position. They had their groove on with excellent returns, aggressive net movement and effective serving. Their momentum brought us one match closer to the opening point and allowed the other two teams to keep their eyes on the prize. The Bulldogs, however, were equally good, and at important moments, proved to be a little more consistent when facing challenges in front of them. Mazen and Edson had their serve broken at 4-5 while Thibault and Alexey had the same unfortunate occurrence at 5-6. Doubles point to MSU. Rats.
Singles soon followed and the volume inside the RAB grew louder. Hail State brought their own crew of supporters and did an excellent job of communicating with one another from court to court. The Tide cheered each other on as well as the Bama faithful. We were neck and neck in first sets all the way down the row of courts. Zhe jumped out to a first set lead on his opponent while Riccardo, Edson, Thibault and Alexey were on their way to the opening set finish line. Mazen had dropped his first frame but was up a double break in the second set which gave us all a boost. The Bulldogs retaliated with some tenacious fighting of their own even with the 2-time Tenacity Award winner, Andrew Goodwin, not playing a single point for them. All four Bama players lost their first sets but responded big in second sets to again push the match longer into the night. Mississippi State is a Top 10-15 program for a reason. They have matured into a very good team and this night showed us that they were simply a little bit better than us. We showed great fight, energy and effort but it wasn’t quite enough to seize the victory down the stretch. Match State…Rats.
Onward to the Iron Bowl. A rivalry that first showcased Alabama and Auburn on a football field at Lakeview Park in Birmingham in 1893, this “Clash of Titans” has divided our state in some proportion, not to mention split numerous communities, neighborhoods and houses. The initial game became the extension of a bitter political debate that took place in the Alabama State Legislature regarding the location of a new land-grant college under the state’s application vis-a-vis the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 during the Civil War Reconstruction Era. The state legislature, influenced by a heavy contingent of representatives who were University of Alabama alumni, pushed to sell the land scripts of 240,000 acres acquired from the Morrill Act or have any new land holdings held in conjunction with the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The debate lasted over four years, until Lee County and the City of Auburn won the location of the new university in 1872, after donating more than 100 acres and the remaining buildings and property of the East Alabama Male College. And so a rivalry was born.
The Tigers crept into Tuscaloosa for an afternoon match-up that featured pleasant temps, partly cloudy skies with a small chance of rain scheduled for approximately two hours after the first serves were struck. We came out fresh and played well in doubles with Thibault and Alexey leading the charge with an impressive win at the #2 slot. While Riccardo and Zhe were trailing 4-5 at #3, Mazen and Edson broke Auburn late in the set. They served out the match and provided that coveted doubles point for the home team. Point Bama! Roll Tide!
Singles began while the sun went into permanent hiding behind the clouds. The Bama bookends on this day, Mazen at #1 raced out to a quick lead in his match, while Riccardo at #6, did the same on his court. Zhe followed suit with a first set of his own but the Tigers responded with first frame wins on courts 2, 4 and 6. This match was far from over as Auburn looked to halt any type of momentum we had attained. Riccardo scored our second point of a match without dropping a game. Forza! Point Bama! Roll Tide! Mazen used many passing shots and a much-improved serve that extended our lead. Point Bama! Roll Tide! With the score 3-0 for the home team, Zhe focused on closing out the match for the Tide while his teammates, Edson, Alexey and Thibault, vaulted ahead in their second sets. At this time, however, Mama Nature decided to drop a few rain drops as planned in the forecast. So we moved all action indoors. The RAB had the final say in the sports day and in this Iron Bowl contest. After a 5-minute warm-up, matches resumed and Zhe served for the match with a 5-2 lead. Our sophomore from Tianjin, China tallied four consecutive points and completed the shutout with a disciplined 10-shot rally that ended in a backhand long beyond the baseline. No hedges to be jumped over on this day but rather the traditional team gathering at the large A logo in between courts 1 and 2 for our singing of “Yeah Alabama”. Match Bama! Roll Tide!
So now we have traveled to College Station and anxiously await our match with the Aggies on Sunday at 1pm. A&M has put together a conference/national championship caliber team and compete very well at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. The facility set-up is identical to ours as we used it as a model when constructing our own home sweet home. Both live streaming and live stats are available so join us from near or afar. The guys have enjoyed playing a little soccer tennis this week in addition to preparing for another opportunity to improve our games, our competitiveness and our spirit. #ThatsBama.
Roll Tide,
George