Men’s tennis battles Auburn

Coming off of a solid victory against the Stetson Hatters and a weeklong layoff, the USF men’s tennis team (3-2) is ready to leave the comforts of home in which it played its last two matches, outscoring its opponents 12-2. The Bulls face No. 36 Auburn Tigers (3-2) on Friday.

The Tigers lost two of their last three matches, but USF coach Don Barr is not about to underestimate them.

“Auburn is a ranked team that plays in a powerful conference like the SEC (Southeastern Conference),” he said. “This is going to be a good learning opportunity for the team – we want to get to the tournament in good shape.”

Defeating Auburn doesn’t just add another “W” to the Bulls’ record – it’s a way to boost team morale, Barr said.

“We need to beat teams like Auburn to feel like we can win the conference and do good in the NCAA tournament,” he said.

The Bulls have already played an SEC opponent – University of Florida – so they know how tough it is to play against an SEC team on the road.

“This is an opportunity for us to go up in the rankings,” Barr said. “We want to take advantage of that.”

In tough games, winning the doubles point is extremely important. That way the Bulls can get the lead and then split the singles matches to take the series.

“We need to start winning the doubles point; that would make our lives easier,” Barr said.