The Ferris State men’s and women’s tennis teams have their home openers on Friday, Feb. 6, against the Spring Arbor Cougars and on Saturday, Feb. 7, against the Findlay Oilers.
Both teams are 1-0 on the season from their spring matches.
Head coach Mark Doren is looking forward to both seasons.
“We are really excited to get going with our seasons,” Doren said. “Both teams have been training really hard and are looking ready to compete. We only graduated 1 player from each team this past year and brought 3 freshman on each team. The freshman came in with outstanding energy and has already made a huge impact on each team. This year, we are very focused on being intentional with our training and teaching our brains and bodies to be quick to learn, but also quick to put negativity in the past. Our focus on having a plan and playing our plan has already shown growth, and we hope to continue that growth in our first couple of matches.”
Doren is also excited to have ten home matches this year, compared to five last year, to bring the fans out.
Women
The Bulldogs (1-0) host Spring Arbor (2-2) and Findlay (0-0) in their first matches since they played Eastern Michigan on January 19 in an exhibition, losing both times to the Eagles. Ferris State’s win was against Grace (IN), in which the Bulldogs won 6-1.
The women had two players in the Intercolliegate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Championship hosted at Davenport. Both sophomore Vivian Burns and freshman Nadia Baird made it to the Round of 16, with Baird losing in the semifinals.
Senior Ana Sofia Hernandez Ferrer is excited to be back on the court for the first time since the exhibition match.
“We are so excited to be back after a long break,” Ferrer said. “Everyone has been putting the work and dedication. The tennis level the team has right now is amazing. We are so ready to show everyone how great we are this season.”
Spring Arbor beat Indiana Kokomo and Ashland back in September as their two wins this season, before losing to Davenport on October 18 and Hillsdale on January 30. Findlay is 1-0 after their 7-0 win against Illinois-Springfield.
Men
Ferris State (1-0) hasn’t played since its 7-0 win against Grace (IN) back on October 18. The Bulldogs host Spring Arbor (2-1) and Findlay (0-1). Spring Arbor beat Ashland 4-3 and lost to Davenport and Hillsdale. Findlay is 1-0 after beating Illinois-Springfield 6-1 at home.
Two doubles teams played in the ITAs, with senior Erik and junior Kevin Kovacs making the Round of 16.
Freshman Andrew Vincler is itching to get back on the court.
“If I were to use one word to describe how I’m feeling right now, it would be rowdy,” Vincler said. “Coming into Ferris in the fall, I knew that we were going to be a good team this year, but I didn’t think we would be this good. Since we have gotten back from winter break, every day at practice has been a war with one another, pushing ourselves and each other to become the best tennis players we can be. Our tennis team this year perfectly represents what it means to be a Ferris Bulldog. We are tough, gritty, and rowdy.”
Ferris women hosts Spring Arbor on Friday, Feb. 6, at 10 am, with the men playing at 2 pm afterwards. Then, on Saturday, Feb. 7, the women host Findlay at 10 am with the men again playing at 2 pm.