Following a seven-game losing streak to begin the year, the Cal Poly men’s tennis team responded with a strong conference season. The team battled back in early March and secured the number one seed in the Big West conference tournament, beginning on April 30.
Senior co-captain Robert Foy said it was difficult to start the season the way they did.
“Obviously we started out 0-7, and it couldn’t get much worse than that,” Foy said. “We were playing well, but we weren’t getting that last piece of the puzzle.”
Foy said the team had the ability to play against any team in the country after playing a difficult schedule early on. He said the adversity they faced allowed the team to come together.
“Our early losses came against some nationally-ranked teams,” Foy said. “We just stayed positive, and something finally clicked and we were able to turn things around mid-way through the season.”
The Mustangs (8-13) excelled during their first match of conference play, with a win over rival UC Davis, but then dropped their next match to even their record at 1-1. The Mustangs then posted three consecutive Big West conference wins to secure the number one seed in the upcoming Big West conference tournament.
The tournament will begin on April 30 with first round play. The Mustangs will open play on May 1 after receiving a first-round bye due to their number one seeding. They will play the winner of the UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis opening-round game.
Head coach Justin McGrath said his team’s perseverance is what allowed them to overcome their early season struggles.
“I think it’s a testament to their character,” McGrath said. “I’m proud of them for sticking together, because they could have easily folded the tent and said let’s go home.”
McGrath said the team was happy to secure the number one seed in the upcoming tournament and said the bye will serve them well due to the high temperatures expected at Indian Wells, which is located near Palm Springs. The team has already begun preparations for the temperatures, which sometimes reach well more than 100 degrees, by ensuring that everyone is eating right and consuming lots of fluids. McGrath said the team is going to have to play good tennis to have a chance at winning the tournament.
“We’re going to have to play very well to win, and we’re going to have to show up,” McGrath said. “The biggest thing for me is not coming out flat. I want us to come out with a lot of energy and intensity and give it our best effort.”
Foy said the tournament is going to come down to will, since all of the teams competing have the ability to win.
“We’re going to have to be tougher than our opponents each day,” Foy said. “Everyone can play tennis and it just comes down to who wants it more.”
The biggest positive heading into the tournament is the fact that the team does not rely on one single guy to carry the load. McGrath said they do not have a go-to guy, but have a group of individuals who formed a strong team.
“The beauty of this team is that we don’t have a bunch of individuals,” McGrath said. “What I demand out of them is that they all have to play well. If we don’t all play well, then we have no shot at winning the conference tournament.”
For the Mustangs, the highlight of the season came against UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos, who have won the past four conference tournament titles, are typically one of the top teams in the conference and the Mustangs were able to defeat their rivals 6-1. Sophomore co-captain Matt Fawcett, who transferred from Old Dominion and enrolled at Cal Poly in January, said the game was the turning point of the season for the Mustangs.
“After that match, we really felt like we achieved something and all the hard work had finally paid off,” Fawcett said.
Fawcett said the team does not feel any added pressure as the top seed and is looking forward to showing everyone the fight it has as a team.
“We are going to approach it like we are the underdogs, which is what we’ve done all season and allowed us to be the number one seed,” Fawcett said. “We are going to try to keep everything in perspective.”
From the beginning of the season, the Mustangs’ goal has been to win the conference title. Fawcett said everyone on the team is extremely close and it would be an unbelievable feeling to win the tournament title.
“What makes us such a special team is that we are all like brothers out there,” Fawcett said. “Every time we go out, we are out there fighting for each other.”
Being the lone senior on the team, Foy said he could not imagine a better way to go out than to win the title this year.
“It would be an absolute dream and I couldn’t think of a better way to finish off my Mustang career here,” Foy said. “It’s something that we’ve worked together as a team all year, and it would be perfect to win it.”