Q & A With Behrend Tennis Head Coach Jeff Barger

What are your thoughts on how your season has started in Hilton Head?  Where do you feel your team stands now?
I felt the week went well.  We played some very good teams during the week.  It was nice to play outside and get a lot of players in matches.  We had two starters not on the trip so some backups got some quality playing time.  With eight matches between March 25 and April 6, its nice to have that depth. 

Who is performing particularly well for the team right now?
Everyone is hitting the ball pretty well right now. I think our singles players are a little ahead of the doubles teams right now.  We will look to improve upon that has the season progresses.   

What does the AMCC look like this season?  How do you think you will do against the competition?
All four teams are having great starts to their seasons.  It will depend on who can stay together as a team and win the close matches.  I believe we can do quite well if keep working hard.

Has anybody really surprised you with what they brought back from the offseason?
We really put in a lot of time in the fall getting ready.  Everyone has shown some improvement.  I'm very surprised by the depth our team has.  I would play everyone without a second thought. 

What is your outlook for the rest of the season as competition heats up?
We want to win matches.  The last couple of seasons we have played well after our spring break trip only to let up a little in the end.  I hope to not let that happen this season. We need to keep the momentum we have going throughout the season. 

What are your expectations for the end of the season and into the postseason?
We want to get better each match out.  I want to see who is playing well and make sure to give a couple of guys a rest.  We must improve our doubles play over the next few weeks to have a good chance to win the AMCC Tournament. 

The blue and white currently post a 4-6 overall record and a 1-0 record in AMCC play.  The men will face three teams in three days starting today with Alfred University at 4:00 p.m.  Then the men will play two conference games beginning on Saturday, March 29 when they take on the Bobcats from Frostburg State and move on to Penn State Altoona on Sunday, March 30. 


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Updated March 28, 2008
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