March 1, 2012
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State men's tennis team has an action packed weekend beginning Friday when it takes on Binghamton at the Events Center in Vestal, N.Y. at 6 p.m. The Redbirds will face Cornell Saturday and Dartmouth Sunday.
Head coach, Cris James, is excited about the competition all three opponents are sure to bring.
"As far as competition goes, these teams are all pretty good," said James. "We were looking for teams that are in the national ranking range of No. 50-75. Cornell just recently dropped out of that rage in the most recent rankings, but they had been there all year. Dartmouth will be good competition, they are ranked No. 59 and Binghamton might be a little down this year from where they have been before, but on the road, I'm sure they will be a tough match."
James is hoping for some improvement in doubles play.
"We have to make some progress in doubles action to get some wins this weekend," said James. "If we can win a doubles point, or two, or three it will definitely help in our overall performance"
Other than improvement in doubles action, James wants his team to focus on being mentally tough while on the road.
"Traveling is not easy," said James. "Flying, playing on different court surfaces, playing in unfamiliar places, none of that stuff is easy and I'm sure we will be physically exhausted by Sunday. That is why mental toughness is so important. I told my team, all of those obstacles are facts, they will be there, but if you can get determined and put those things aside, you will see success."
Saturday's match against Cornell is set to begin at 11 a.m. Play is set to begin Sunday at 6 p.m. against Dartmouth.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
