On a cold windy day in Bowling Green, the men’s tennis team was read hot. In a pair of matches that were intended to prepare the Falcons for their match against Western Michigan, the team emerged victorious in matches against Robert Morris College and Wright State, sweeping both 7-0.
To senior Ed Kuresman, the win over Robert Morris was particularly sweet, in part because of the way he played against them in the past.
“I played Robert Morris last year and didn’t play very well at all,” Kuresman said. “I needed to prove to myself that I could beat these guys handily.”
Kuresman did just that, defeating Robert Morris’ Web Yeardie (6-1, 6-0).
Senior Vitek Wild was also pleased after the game coming back to win two matches after a disappointing performance last Saturday against DePaul.
“I was in the zone,” said Wild, who defeated Wright State’s Chad Derry (6-3, 6-4) in singles, and teamed with Kuresman to defeat Derry and Quincy Jones in doubles. “I was focused on the match, and when I wasn’t playing I was supporting my teammates.”
The team will now prepare for Western Michigan, a match that will take place on Saturday, a Falcon Frenzy Day, when all Falcon athletes are encouraged to attend the event. Saturday will also feature the women’s team in action at Keefe Tennis Courts against Eastern Michigan. Both games will begin at 1 p.m.
Sophomore Joel Carney said that the opportunity to play in front of a large crowd should inspire the team.
“It will be fun to play in front of all those people,” Carney said. “We can play with anyone in the country, and I think everybody knows that.”
The Falcons are also focused on the match itself. Kuresman said the team will be poised to come away with a win.
“I think we have worked very hard in the past couple of weeks to fine-tune everything,” Kuresman said. “I think we will not only beat them but beat them handily.”
Wild thinks the Falcons are almost ready for the match, but can’t lose the hard work ethic that has gotten them this far.
“We are getting there, but we will still have to practice hard,” Wild said. “This match will be huge because we can show the MAC who we really are.”
The Falcons’ next match will be Wednesday, when they travel to Lexington to face Kentucky.