For Penn State men's tennis co-captain Ryan Berger, playing with high levels of energy and excitement are critical to his success on the court.
This weekend, the rest of the team will attempt to match his energy, as the No. 44 Nittany Lions (8-1) will serve as host in a match against Virginia Tech. The match is scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m.
Berger is one of two seniors on the team, and his 14-5 season record is one reason why the Lions have won eight of nine contests. With each practice, Berger says that he and his teammates are getting better, and its starting to show on the court.
"We've been practicing a lot lately, especially on doubles play," he said. "We've also been mixing it up with different partners and trying hard to play every set with as much energy as we can. I think our hard work will pay off Sunday."
The Lions are coming off one of their most dominant wins of the season, posting a 7-0 sweep over Bucknell last Thursday. In the match, the Lions took two of three doubles matches and swept the Bison in singles.
By the time Sunday arrives, the Lions will have had 10 days between their last match, the longest break between matches so far this season. Berger is not concerned at the thought that he and his teammates will come out sluggish, but believes that this extra time will prove beneficial.
"The extra time will definitely help," he said. "We were able to get in some harder workouts. It gave us the opportunity to push ourselves a little harder than usual, while still having that down time, both of which is important to us."
The Hokies (7-3) will look to bounce back after dropping a match to the Maryland Terrapins last week. They are led by their No. 1 doubles team of Nicolas Delgado and Pedro Graber, who are No. 26 in the ITA National Doubles Rankings.
The Lions plan to combat Virginia Tech's No. 1 doubles team with their own successful duo. Junior Michael James and sophomore Adam Slagter are No. 19 in the ITA National Doubles Poll and boast a 13-2 record on the season.
Berger knows that he will have to bring out his top effort and also knows that head coach Todd Doebler will be there in case he or anyone else stumbles, to make sure that they don't lose their focus.
"[Doebler] is always very positive," Berger said. "If we are doing well, he tells us to keep it up. It's a lot easier when you are doing well of course, but even if we are struggling he always has something positive to say. He throws a few suggestions at us, and I think it really helps me and the rest of the guys."
