After the 4-3 loss to DePaul over the weekend, the Bowling Green men’s tennis team dropped to 11-9, and some players questioned whether they all were giving it their all.

“We are not going to point fingers,” said senior captain Mike Kossoff. “All I can say is that the whole team will have to take it up a few levels for our upcoming matches.”

Kossoff was strong on Saturday, defeating DePaul’s Sam Davidson (6-3, retired). The Falcons shined in doubles matches, winning all three. Freshman Ian Bliss and sophomore Milos Jirout defeated DePaul’s Dan Bennett and Jevgenij Cariov 8-3.

Despite his success in doubles, Bliss was disappointed in the quality of the team’s play.

“We played hard,” Bliss said. “But we didn’t display the intensity that we had in past matches.”

While coach Jay Harris has been pleased with the way the team has stuck together in a season where turmoil has been a constant, he said if the squad is to achieve its goals, the entire team must be strong.

“We are not a team that can just rely on a couple of guys every time,” Harris said. “We need to have a great effort from each guy to win every match.”

The competitiveness of the match against DePaul was to be expected. In the last five matches between the two teams, four of them have ended 4-3.

The team will play two matches tomorrow at home against Robert Morris College and Wright State. Junior Geoff Hiscox, who fell on Saturday to DePaul’s Robert Kurek in three sets (6-4, 4-6, 6-4) thinks that the Falcons will be ready, especially after their disappointing loss to DePaul.

“It is a very good position for us to be in,” Hiscox said. “We are very confident about those matches.”

Kossoff agreed. “We will drop those teams like a bad habit,” he said.

Like his players, Harris has a lot of faith in the ability of his team. But he also gave credit to Robert Morris and Wright State, each of which he feels could provide a challenge to the Falcons on their home court.

“Robert Morris is a solid team. They fight us every year and it’s a good match for us to play in,” Harris said. “Wright State may be the most improved team in the Midwest, so that should be a gritty match.”

Harris said he is proud of his team, which he believes has dealt with more than its share of adversity. Harris believes the team has persevered through a difficult schedule, injuries and news of the program being cut for next year, and he said its best tennis lies ahead.

“This is probably the best tennis team to come into Bowling Green,” Harris said. “They have also worked the hardest and improved more than any team that I have had. I think we have the ability to win the rest of our matches.”