It’s the beginning of a new season at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center this week. The regular season is over for the men’s tennis team and it is time for its final Big East Tournament.
Miami, the host for the tournament, entered its final regular season match against American University in desperate need of a victory. The ‘Canes entered last week’s match on a four-game losing streak, but left with a momentum-builder after a 5-2 victory.
“Anytime we lose four in a row, it’s nice to get a win,” Head Coach Bryan Getz said. “It was great to get back on track and get some of the guys some confidence again.”
The tournament will be the final stop for the Hurricanes before they officially move to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) next season. Their four-game losing streak happened to come against future ACC foes.
As for their current Big East rivals, the Hurricanes’ toughest opponents will be Notre Dame and Virginia Tech, as those two and Miami are the three top teams in the conference. Notre Dame lost to both Miami and Virginia Tech during the regular season, but is ranked nearly 20 spots ahead of both teams.
The Hurricanes finished the season with a record of 12-7. They had a lot of ups and downs throughout the year, which can be attributed to injuries. Sophomore Tim Krebs has been out for three weeks, but is likely to be back for the tournament.
Miami will have a bull’s eye on its backs for obvious reasons. Even if Miami were not deserting the Big East, no one would like it. But Getz says that his guys love it and that there is no added pressure on this tournament than in prior seasons.
“Our guys know what comes with being an athlete at Miami,” Getz said. “It comes with pressure and tradition, which is what we enjoy as a challenge.”
The Hurricanes will be led by their freshman phenom Josh Cohen, who has looked completely dominating at times this year. He was a huge part of why Miami got off to a 9-0 start, with its first loss coming to Florida State 4-3.
The tournament will be held at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center Thursday through Sunday. The match times will be determined depending on the final standings and seeding.
Douglas Kroll can be contacted at d.kroll@umiami.edu.