Raindrops began to fall at Barksdale Tennis Stadium.
Alejandro Moreno, a senior and the Vols’ top singles player, walked to each court trying to fire up his guys as they stared off into the distance. His efforts turned fruitless, and their play remained lifeless.
Tennessee men’s tennis may have won its last match before conference play, but little positives arose after the effort displayed during the doubles session.
“I saw a team from Chattanooga that really wanted it, and a team from Knoxville that wasn’t ready to play,” associate head coach Matt Lucas said.
From the very start of doubles play, the Mocs played with passion and energy, with each tandem hyping up their partners and encouraging their teammates across courts. As for the Vols, they looked disconnected and disinterested throughout the session. They talked little, they encouraged each other little, and what few sparks they did have were quickly snuffed out by their own mistakes.
“Credit to them, they took it to us,” Lucas said. “We were still in the locker room, I think, and they played some really good doubles, and we played some really uninspiring doubles, is what I would say.”
Tennessee displayed a completely uncharacteristic performance in doubles. Frequently this season, they brought the fire and flare to the doubles session, forcing their opponents to match their intensity and competition level.
“I don’t want to take anything away from them. I thought they were quite good, and we were just sluggish and slow, and they made us pay for it,” Lucas said. “Obviously, it was like an avalanche on each court.”
Halfway through the doubles matches, a drizzle brought play to a halt as the courts became too slick to play on. While the Mocs talked and kept their energy up, many of the Vols out there physically looked checked out mentally, gazing into the distance and quietly waiting for play to resume.
Moreno noticed the difference in the moods and tried to get things going, but he could not. After such a lopsided result, the message between sessions was a brief one.
“Gotta man up,” Lucas said. “Compete hard, go out, be who we are, who we can be.”
Though the coaches had plenty to say, they didn’t need to say much with the players sensing the unhappiness of the coaches.
“It was more about what they said to themselves,” Lucas said. “It was more of those guys kinda binding together, and it was what they did.”
The soul-searching worked, as the Vols weathered an early storm from the Mocs and took each opening set during singles play.
“[Chuck] gets those guys ready to play, and they played quite well,” Lucas said. “That’s what we needed. We don’t want matches where it’s just easy because moving forward, starting Saturday, there’s no easy matches.”
Among those who struggled in doubles, Ethan Muza raised his level both physically and emotionally in the singles despite an injury. He gutted out a tough win, cruising in straight sets before limping around to cheer on his teammates.
“Incredible courage to come out and play in singles,” Lucas said. “That’s what Tennessee is all about.”
Despite the injury, Lucas said Muza should be fine.
Elsewhere, many guys seemed to be upping their intensity. Moreno frequently exclaimed after claiming a big point or a lengthy rally. Jose Garcia did much of the same. Jan Kobierski was very vocal from the get-go and fed off the crowd that had fled to the comfort of Goodfriend Tennis Center.
The passion and energy missing from the doubles session came back during the singles session, and it ultimately allowed the Vols to assert control of the match. Each singles player battled their way to a straight-set win, giving the Vols a 6-1 overall match victory.
Still, it remains a day in which the team did not put together a complete match.
“We’ve had certain courts do it in certain matches, but we haven’t had that full three doubles matches and six singles matches all be there on the same day,” Lucas said. “The good is very good. I feel like we’re on a little bit too much of a roller coaster.”
The Vols have much to discuss and much to figure out, but they have little time to do it. Their first SEC match of the season is on Saturday in Lexington, where they will face Kentucky.
“It’s understanding that things are not gonna go your way all the time, and how are we gonna deal with that?” Lucas said. “Are we still gonna be positive? Are we gonna move on, have a next point mentality? We’ll see if they can do it. I’m excited to see what they can do.”
