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Men’s
tennis to host cross town rival SMU Too much has changed over the course of a year to call today’s men’s tennis match between old rivals TCU and Southern Methodist “unfinished business.” In fact, head coach Joey Rive sees this year as a new beginning, rather than a rebuilding year. “There’s almost a total change for our team from last year,” Rive said. “We have freshmen that are just starting out and witnessing the TCU-SMU rivalry for the first time. It’s almost like starting a brand new rivalry.” The No. 19 ranked Frogs will open their spring dual-match season today against the Mustangs at 1 p.m. at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. Today’s match will mark the first of two meetings this season with the Mustangs. The second match will take place on April 10 in Dallas. The Mustangs, ranked No. 9 in the nation, are currently 1-0 in the spring season, winning their dual meet with the University of Hawaii-Pacific, 5-2, on Jan. 11. Last year’s meeting ended with the No. 8 Mustangs upsetting the No. 4 ranked Frogs, 4-3. After that match, the two teams advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tennis Championships in Athens, Ga. However both teams were eliminated before they could meet in the finals. The Frogs fell to Tennessee, 4-0, while the Mustangs were defeated by eventual champion Georgia, 4-0. Since the NCAA Championships last spring, the teams have lost a combined 10 seniors, with the Frogs losing eight players from last year’s No. 5 ranked team, the third highest final ranking for the team in school history Those players included All-Americans Esteban Carril, Jimmy Haney and Trace Fielding. The teams have more similarities between them than previously believed. Both teams advanced to the Final Four last year, are nationally ranked, and have players ranked in the top 100 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The Frogs’ Toni Gordon is ranked No. 71 in singles action, while the Mustangs’ Krystian Pfeiffer is ranked No. 82. The Frogs have been practicing since the break, even using their Christmas break to work on their game. “Some of the guys didn’t get to practice as much as they would have liked to over the break, since the weather didn’t cooperate in a lot of places, but I think they’re all in good playing shape,” Rive said. Rive’s idea of a “brand new rivalry” has even reached some of the team members as well. “Everyone wants to play at a high level for this match,” freshman Chris Brandi said. “It’s a big rivalry. We all want to beat SMU.” Rive said today’s match is important for preparation for the rest of the season. “The match isn’t quite make or break, but we would love to start the season strong,” Rive said. “A good performance will give us a good feeling on where we are.” Rive also said he feels that his team will play at a high level because the opponents are the rival Mustangs. “Every time that TCU plays SMU in anything, it’s a big match,” Rive said. “The guys are psyched up for the match. They want to play hard and repay them for last year’s loss.” With the second match looming over the horizon later in the season, things between the Frogs and the Mustangs may soon become “unfinished business.” Quinten
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TCU Daily Skiff © 2002 |
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