With the school year coming to an end and finals just around the corner, the UT tennis team’s season is almost over. The Sunshine State Conference tournament is this weekend, and the pressure is on.
“Our team is very excited to be playing in conference,” freshman Jamie Lieberman said. “We are currently ranked the highest UT has ever been ranked [32], and I am confident that the team will do its best to win every match we play.”
Out of the nine teams in the Sunshine State Conference, eight of them get to play in the conference. It is being hosted at UT, April 19-21.
“I am nervous about conference, but I have a lot of confidence in our team,” junior Caitlin Scudder said. “The Sunshine State Conference is tough all around. We have competed well throughout the season so hopefully we will finish strong.”
The Sunshine State Conference is one of the toughest in the country. Six of the eight teams in the conference are nationally ranked. UT first will play the 12th team in the nation, Florida Southern. Their next matches depend on the outcome of that first match. But head coach Al DuFaux has confidence in his team.
“These are some of the best teams in the country, but we stand a good chance,” Coach DuFaux said. “We should do pretty well.”
The team has been playing a lot of matches during practice to prepare for the conference. Stress levels are high as the tournament is only days away. This is what the team has been working towards all season.
“It’s my first time playing in conference, so I am a little nervous but also excited to be able to experience it,” said Lieberman. “I’m looking forward to some good matches. I have been playing very well lately, so I am confident that I will give every opponent a good match.”
The team has played all the teams in the conference throughout the season, so it will be interesting to see how the tournament turns out.
“It is kind of nerve-wracking knowing that we have played against all of these teams before. Our record within the SSC is 3-5, so I am expecting some tough matches,” Scudder said. “We worked hard this season, and I can’t wait to see the outcome.”