Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
“People will do anything to get it.” - Men’s Tennis ready to start NCAA Journey in Starkville
5/2/2023 11:30:00 AM | Men's Tennis
MTSU drew two opponents they’ve already played in 2023 in their four-team regional
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee men's tennis assistant coach Andrea Caligiana had a word on his mind just after MTSU's spot in the 2023 NCAA Tournament draw was revealed.
Revenge.
Filling in on press duties for head coach Jimmy Borendame, who himself helped select the field as a member of the Men's Tennis Selection committee, Caligiana smiled when remembering the two other top seeds in the Starkville Regional, where MTSU will start their 2023 NCAA Tournament on Friday, May 5, at 11 a.m. CT.
Host Mississippi State, of course, and Tulane, MTSU's first round opponent, alongside No. 4 seed SWAC champion Alabama State. To reach the Blue Raiders' goal of making the Sweet 16, MTSU will likely have to go through both. And each team has gotten the best of the Blue Raiders in 2023.
"The Starkville region is a strong one," Caligiana said humbly. "We've been there many times in the last few years. We are very excited to go there because we want to get revenge."
The Bulldogs gave MTSU its first loss of the spring way back on January 22, where Mississippi State took the match in Starkville, Miss. 5-2. Tulane, meanwhile, has seen MTSU twice this season, falling 4-3 in the Blue-Gray Championships in Montgomery, Ala. before securing a 4-3 victory of their own on their home court in New Orleans just over a week later.
Either way, the Green Wave and the Bulldogs have gotten the better of the Blue Raiders the last time they met on the court. Something that will motivate MTSU as it continues practice ahead of heading down later this week.
"Our beginning goal of the year is to make the Sweet 16," senior Francisco Rocha said. "Now, we've gotten the chance to see the teams that we've got to face to make that happen. It's a proud moment for all of us because we want to represent this school so well."
Rocha pointed out that the film study ahead of this weekend will be huge, given that each of the Blue Raiders has likely battled against their opponent already this season. The tendencies, the lineups, the players are all well known to MTSU.
Rocha notes, however, that said knowledge is a two-way street.
"I think it's going to be some interesting matches, because on the other hand, they also know how we play," Rocha said. "I'm looking forward to it."
Only one player, freshman Ondrej Horak, has not dropped a point to either Mississippi State or Tulane in singles across those three matches this season. That has the Opava, Czech Republic native excited for the draw MTSU received on Monday.
"We've got to fight for every single ball, every single point," Horak said. "That's why we're here."
Horak, along with fellow freshmen Marcel Kamrowski and Shu Matsuoka, will be learning from a veteran group that will be entering their fourth NCAA Tournament in fifth-year seniors Rocha, Stjin Slump and Pavel Motel. Rocha remembers their first NCAA Tournament, a first-round exit against NC State in the Knoxville regional in 2019, well.
"We didn't really have this type of goal where we're going there to beat all the teams," Rocha said. "Then it was like, 'Oh this is a cool experience getting to play with the big guys.' Now we're the big guys."
Caligiana said that the preparation for this week will be like any other in the Blue Raiders' schedule, one that's featured 13 matches against teams that made the field of 64.
"Nothing special, nothing different from what we always do," Caligiana said. "These guys have worked extremely hard and we've just got to keep working hard, keeping get sharper. We know these teams, we know how to play them. We've just to keep working and be healthy for the matches."
That big time team mentality is what Rocha is trying to instill in the freshmen ahead of what promises to be some highly competitive tennis in Mississippi.
"When it comes to a national championship, people want it more," Rocha said. "People will do anything to get it. And we're going to be on the same page. We're going to give everything we have."
"I'm just going to let them know that I fully trust all of them to play the role they're going to play and the results will turn out."
Players Mentioned
