The ETSU women’s tennis team will face Emory University on Valentine’s Day, putting its four-game winning streak on the line.
During the winning streak, the Bucs have dominated their competition, averaging six or more points per match and rarely allowing their opponents one point per match. So far they’ve outscored their opponents 26-2, but coach Travis Sandlant believes this team still can improve against Emory.
“We need to increase our fitness,” Sandlant said. “We could possibly be playing three matches in three days during the season, so we need to increase our fitness. We also want to improve our quality in matches by not allowing teams to get points they don’t deserve.”
The Bucs brought back a lot of talent for this season, including senior Lyn Yee Choo, who is coming off a Southern Conference First Team selection a season ago. Emory is coming into the matches against the Bucs with only one win on its schedule.
“We expect a team effort,” Sandlant said. “We want to have everyone turn it up and have a role in the match. The team chemistry is what has contributed to the team’s early success. The younger players are still learning, but with the great leadership, the team has adjusted just fine.”
Despite the team’s 4-0 start, Sandlant thinks the team could be playing much better.
“We look okay; we started conditioning later than usual this season,” Sandlant said. “We’re starting to get into form, so we expect to be much better down the season.”
Look for the Bucs to try to get their conditioning up as they play Emory. This will be the only time both teams meet this season. The Bucs hope to get the 1-0 advantage in the series.
Next the Bucs will play UT-Martin and Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro to try to improve before tournament play begins.
