By MAYAN PAZ
Tiger Media Network
Only two matches remain in the season for the Fort Hays State University tennis team, and with a record of 13-7 overall (2-5 in the MIAA), the team is currently eighth in the MIAA. Only six teams will make it to the MIAA tournament and as the Tigers are one win behind Emporia State at sixth (3-4), they will have to win on the road against University of Central Oklahoma and Newman University to have a chance to qualify for the tournament.
Last week, the Tigers lost their MIAA matchup against nationally ranked University of Nebraska-Kearney and proceeded to win their non-conference match against Concordia University.
Despite losing all of their matches against the Lopers, the Tigers made it difficult for UNK, taking three of the six individual matchups to a tiebreaker and winning one of the three doubles matches.
FHSU coach Brian Flax was happy with the courage his athletes demonstrated as the underdogs.
“Nebraska-Karney is a tremendous team, and I thought we weren’t in any means scared or afraid. We came out and we played a good game,” Flax said. “The conference is so tough. We won a No. 2 doubles, and that was a great win for us. In singles, gosh, to lose three tiebreakers out of the six matches to a team like that … . You know, they were just hard-fought matches. Sometimes you come out on top, and sometimes you don’t. Unfortunately, this time, we didn’t. But it was definitely a match a lot closer than what the team score would indicate.”
The day was also an opportunity for the Tigers to say goodbye to three seniors who played their last match at home — Grace Unruh, Yone Pereiro and Irina Alfonso. Alfonso also enjoyed a doubles win with freshman Suzana Faucz.
Faucz added an impressive performance in her singles match, falling after a long tiebreaker in a 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (14-12) loss.
“It was really good to have their guidance, especially Irina and Yone,” Faucz said about the seniors on the squad. “They helped me a lot. They were my first friends here, too. So it was really special to have them on the team, and for Irina to be my double. I am so grateful that we could do a lot of what we’ve done and win so many matches. And I’ll miss them a lot playing with them, too.”
After gaining confidence back with the 5-2 win over Concordia, the Tigers will go back into MIAA play in two must-win matchups against Central Oklahoma and Newman. In recent years, the Tigers have been out of the postseason picture by this time of the season.
Now, they have a lot to play for.
“We haven’t been in this position for a long time, so we’ve got a lot to play for,” Flax said. “Every practice is big now that we’re down to the end. We need to go out and take care of business. We’re playing for something big, and so that’s exciting. And in the last couple of years, though we were out of the top six by this point, we finished strong. Everybody’s attitude was great. Nobody was shutting it down. And that’s what we’re doing this year. And like I said, next weekend, the opportunity is there and so we need to take it.”
FHSU travels to Edmond, Oklahoma, on Friday to play the Bronchos and finishes the regular season Saturday in Wichita against the Jets.