By Jonathan Sawyer
Staff Writer
The men’s tennis team had the week off from competition last week.
The Bonnies ended their regular season against La Salle and Saint Joseph’s, and they had a week to prepare for the Atlantic 10 Championships.
The team looks to take on Duquesne in the first round of the A 10’s, a team the Bonnies lost to earlier this season, 5-2.
“We had a lot of good matches against them. If we can pick up our level a little bit, I think we will have a good shot at the upset,” Head Coach Michael Bates said.
The final two matches of the regular season for the Bonnies were played outdoors, beating La Salle, 7-0 and losing to Saint Joseph’s.
Going from inside to outside is a big difference, according to Bates.
“Going from indoors to outdoors is harder because of the wind, the sun, the ball is not in the same spot every time, whereas in indoors, the ball is in the same spot every time,” Bates said.
The Bonnies will also be starting three freshmen in the tournament, Andrew Blair, Victor Blanco and Carlos de La Cruz.
Starting freshmen is not always easy, but Coach Bates said he believes his freshmen are ready to go.
“I think they will be okay; they have been through a whole season already, so by this, you are not a freshman anymore, I think you are a pretty seasoned veteran now,” Bates said.
Senior Trevor Haskell keeps the freshmen motivated and ready to go each match. Bates said he believes he will be the main factor in the A-10 Championships.
“He knows what it’s like and he wants to go out on a high note,” Bates said.
Sophomore Hristo Hristov said he feels excited entering his second straight year going to the A-10 Championships.
“I feel excited. Our goal is that we are going to give it our best and improve from each game,” Hristov said.
Junior Eduardo Irizarry said he feels a little bit of pressure heading into the tournament, being a leader on the team, but believes his team can do well.
“I feel confident in the team. It’s not just me, you have to depend on all six players.” Irizarry said.
Eduardo and Hristo said they both feel that this season has been much better than seasons in the past.
“This year, we are way better than last year, and last year, we had a pretty good team. This year we should go far in the A-10’s,” Irizarry said.
Irizarry has given the three freshmen a bit of advice to just stay calm and build on losses.
“Don’t let the losses count, just gain from them. If you lose, it’s in the past and just gain experience,” Irizarry said.
Irizarry has all the confidence in his team. “We are going to win A-10’s,” Irizarry said.
The Bonnies are seeded 10th and took on Duquesne on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
