DENVER – The MSU Denver men's and women's tennis teams begin regional play with a five-dual road trip beginning Friday morning. The Roadrunners will be departing Denver early Thursday morning for a 10-hour drive down to Wichita Falls, Texas.
"It's always great to get away and go on a long road trip," MSU Denver coach
Josh Graetz said. "The teams have not been able to spend much time together off the court because of COVID-19 protocol, so this will be a great opportunity for team bonding."
The trip kicks off with a doubleheader for both teams Friday against regional opponent Oklahoma Baptist at 7 a.m. MST followed by Texas-Tyler at 2 p.m. MST.
Following the Friday doubleheader, the teams play one dual a day starting with Southeastern Oklahoma State at 8 a.m. MST Saturday, host Midwestern State (Texas) on Sunday at 2 p.m. MST, and then the road trip end with a road dual at Cameron (Okla.).
The teams have changed their approaches over the course of the week to prepare for different playing conditions at sea-level. With the lack of altitude and slower conditions, Graetz has his Roadrunners focusing on a different style of play.
"We have been working on being more shot tolerant and disciplined from the baseline," Graetz said. "There is more room for error, so we need to make sure we stay in every point."
If the Roadrunners have learned anything over the last week it has been that they can compete with anyone. The Roadrunners are looking to build on the learning lessons from their challenging preseason schedule as they enter DII play. Their expectation is to compete and bring energy and intensity to every match.
Out of the five slated matches, three will be against regional opponents while the two against the Division II Texas programs will not be. Matches are considered regional matches if the opponent resides in a state touching Colorado. The Roadrunners will be looking for key victories in those matches as regional wins are critical throughout the season.
"Every match is going to be high level tennis this weekend," Graetz said. "I am confident these players will rise to the occasion."
