Men's tennis has 'ability' to take RMAC
by Justin Kuntz
The Metropolitan
Although its early season might have seemed like an unforced error with a 1-9 start, Metro men's tennis has come together by ending its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schedule with a 3-3 record.
The 'Runners (4-12 overall) had only three returning players from last year: senior Jojo Mmopi, sophomore Andre Nilsson and sophomore James Schumacher. Metro might have struggled early under first-year head coach Dave Alden as they lost their first nine matches by an average score of 5-1.
Five of their last six matches were within the RMAC. The men went 3-3 and defeated the University of Northern Colorado Bears 5-4.
Alden said UNC is a tough non-conference opponent because it is a provisional Division I school.
Against the Bears, Alden made a switch by putting Nilsson and Mmopi at No. 1 doubles and Schumacher and Scott Flannigan at No. 2 doubles, which might have been the switch the team needed. Alden stuck with the new lineup through the conference matches.
The team always believes they can win big matches, but the team's confidence really builds when you actually go out and do it, Alden said.
He added the whole team "has really joined together" and played "really good tennis" coming into the conference matches last week.
On Wednesday, April 14, the Roadrunners lost 4-5 to the Colorado Mines Orediggers. When the teams met in late March, the 'Runners were drilled by the Orediggers with a final score of 1-8.
"We probably should have beaten them." Alden said about their latest match against Mines.
Metro has been working in practice on drills to help them become mentally tough and win the big points.
Schumacher has "really gained a competitive edge" and won some big points against Mesa State to help the team pull out a 6-3 victory, Alden said.
As Flannigan has gained experience and played in tough points, his game has rapidly improved over the year, Alden said. Nilsson had some rough matches early in the year, but lately has been playing really good tennis against strong competition.
With the Roadrunners winning the RMAC four out of the last five years, it might seem they have a lot of history to live up to as they head into the conference tournament.
"There is no clear-cut favorite to win the RMAC this season," Alden said.
The 'Runners played four matches in five days last week, but since the RMAC Tournament doesn't start until this weekend, they will be well rested while Mesa State and CSU-Pueblo are playing matches this week. Those matches will decide the first round opponents for the conference tournament. The tournament will take place in Grand Junction and will be hosted by Mesa State.
With its dismal overall record, Metro will need to win the RMAC Tournament in order to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament, which takes place May 7-9.
"We have the ability and the opportunity to win the RMAC," Alden said.
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