Written by Kaylee Beth Swayne
The men’s tennis team found out Thursday, April 22, that it had qualified for nationals for the third time in four
years.
Nationals begin Thursday, May 6, at Barry University in Miami, Fla.Harding is ranked 10th out of 12 teams going into the tournament.The Bisons enjoyed a winning season in which they are 14-7 overall and 1-2 in the Gulf South Conference. The team is 4-2 at home and 7-2 when on the road. The Bisons are 3-3 at neutral sites.
Senior Marco Ruiz has been privileged to go to nationals for the third time as a Bison. He said he is excited to have the opportunity again. Althoughthe team did not get to go to nationals last year because of some changes the NCAA made in qualifying, Ruiz said the team understood these rules this season and has been working hard to make it to nationals this year.
Harding’s first opponent will be West Florida, a team the Bisons are familiar with. Florida defeated Harding last week in conference play in Montgomery, Ala.
“I think we have a really good chance of winning since we already know our opponents,” said sophomore Henrique Ruiz, Marco’s brother. “We have been practicing on our weaknesses in order to be stronger in the tournament.”
Along with the Ruiz brothers, there are five other men traveling to nationals from Harding. Freshmen Helio Hashimoto is getting prepared to go to nationals for his first time.
“I’m really excited to go to nationals as a freshmen,” Hashimoto said. “It will be really exciting to get to compete against the best teams in the nation.”
The match is divided into three doubles and six singles games in the first round. The team will have to win three rounds in order to make it to the sweet sixteen.The first round will be in the morning and the second round will continue into the afternoon and evening. The tournament will be finished on Friday, when the winner will be announced.
