The BG Tennis team travels to Ann Arbor, Mich. this weekend to compete in the Wolverine Fall Invitational.
After a successful home invite last weekend, the Falcons will now match up against Cincinatti, Marquette, Michigan State, Western Michigan, Xavier, and Michigan. Falcon head coach Penny Dean said even though last weekend’s competition was tough, the upcoming invitational opponents will be even tougher.
“There won’t be any easy matches,” Dean said. “We have to make sure we’re not intimidated this weekend.”
The events from this invitational will not go on the Falcons team record. Yet every one of the teams competing this weekend will face the Falcons in a dual match beginning in January. Dean said the invitational is important to get an early look at their future opponents and allow the team to gain confidence for the rest of the season.
“I’m looking for us to get some wins and get some confidence in our game,” Dean said. “We just need to build on the past weekend and get better.”
Last weekend, senior Laura Kokinda and sophomore Ashley Jacupcin each won singles flight championships, and the team of Kokinda and junior Andrea Meister captured a doubles title at the BGSU Invitational. But this weekend the Falcons face a flurry of challenges.
Dean said, not only will the Falcons be against tougher opponents this weekend, they also have to overcome a more spread out flight system in Ann Arbor. While players at the BGSU Invitational were put into six different flights, the Wolverine Fall Invitational will only have two. Dean said this puts a lot more players in each flight and will be much harder than a normal flight system.
“My number four player could play the number one player from Michigan, whereas my number four player would usually be playing another number four in our tournament,” Dean said.
Dean also said this weekend is probably the toughest competition during the fall.
“I hope that we meet the challenge and play a lot of good matches,” Dean said. “It would set the tone for the season and give us a lot more confidence. But we need to battle for every point, in every game and every set.”
The three-day, five-team event will begin at 10:00 a.m. today and 9:00 a.m. tomorrow and Sunday at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor.
