Long layoffs from competition can sometimes be detrimental to a team's play. Players can lose their mental edge, practicing against teammates can become monotonous and the competitive drive that was once inside can be hard to find.]
The Penn State men's tennis team is hoping to show no ill effects from their 16-day layoff from action as they participate in the Big Ten Indoor Singles Championships. The tournament runs from 9 a.m. today through Monday at the Varsity Tennis Center on the University of Michigan campus.
"We've been playing against each other for the last three weeks," junior Michael James said. "They have been good practices and I think we are already to play this weekend."
James is looking to continue a successful fall that has seen him finish in the quarterfinals of the ITA Regional Championships. James earned the No. 15 seed in the 64-player main draw.
James earned one of the only 16 seeds that are awarded for the championship. Despite the honor, James has not put any added pressure on himself.
"I don't really pay much attention to seeds," James said. "I just take one match at a time and my seed doesn't really matter."
Brendan Lynch is one of four unseeded Nittany Lions that are looking to make some noise in the main draw. Lynch had a strong showing at the ITA Regional Championships where he finished as a semifinalist.
Bradley Hunter, Ryan Berger and Adam Slagter join James and Lynch as the other Penn State players in the main draw.
The Lions will also send three players to today's 32-player qualifying draw. Ryan Gormley, Guillaume St-Maurice and James Dwyer will start play in the second round of the qualifying draw after earning first-round byes.
The first round of the main draw opens action at 8 a.m. Saturday after eight players advance from today's qualifying round. The tournament wraps up with the semifinal and championship match on Monday.
The Big Ten Indoor Singles Championships will conclude the Nittany Lions' season for the fall semester. The team is using this weekend as a barometer to see how far the team has progressed this fall and to see how far they still need to go for the spring season.
"[The Big Ten Indoor Singles Championships] is a huge indicator, and it is a great test," Berger said. " We'll get to see what we're up against next semester."
