Men's tennis earns weekend wins
Years of roster depth contributes to Blugold team's continued success, coach says
Ashley Hofer
Issue date: 3/11/10 Section: Sports
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Over the course of Friday and Saturday, the Blugolds played three matches at home against St. Norbert College (Wis.), Loras College (Iowa) and Lakeland College (Wis.), as well as two matches in Iowa against Central College (Iowa) and Buena Vista University (Iowa). The team decisively won against all of the schools.
"I'm really proud of the guys," coach Tom Gillman said. "They took on challenges and had good attitudes.
"It went as well as we hoped."
The weekend kicked off Friday against St. Norbert. The team defeated all Green Knight players in singles and doubles competition to pick up the 9-0 win.
On Saturday, the Blugolds recorded similar results, but under very different circumstances. The team was divided in two, with half of the players staying at home and the others traveling for matches in Iowa. But splitting the team didn't seem to have much of an impact, as the traveling team first defeated Buena Vista 9-0 and then Central 7-2. The Blugolds remaining in Eau Claire were also victorious, winning 9-0 against Loras and 8-1 over Lakeland.
In determining which Blugolds would compete at home and which would journey to Iowa, Gillman said some studying was required.
"You have to do a little bit of homework, assess the levels of different teams and the surfaces they will be playing on," he said. "I just felt that splitting the squad was best."
Gillman said it was a risk to divide the teams evenly as he did, but one that paid off in the end.
"I'd rather take a risk and get good playing experience for the squad than be afraid and not give the opportunity," he said.
The success of the team when split said a lot about its depth, sophomore Chris Kuna said. He said the way the team played against such solid opponents was at times "unbelievable."
Eau Claire has had one of the deepest rosters throughout the Midwest over the last several years, Gillman said. He also said schedules like this last weekend's present opportunities for the younger players.
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