{"id":14306,"date":"2020-02-14T06:00:48","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T12:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/?p=14306"},"modified":"2020-02-20T21:01:39","modified_gmt":"2020-02-21T03:01:39","slug":"dedicating-this-season-to-alex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/2020\/02\/14\/dedicating-this-season-to-alex\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Dedicating this season to Alex\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The men\u2019s tennis team defeated University of Montevallo last weekend, improving their record to 6-0 for the spring season. The victory came one week after the team upset Midwestern State University, which was ranked No. 15.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to David Redding, head tennis coach, extra motivation for success during the spring season settled into the team due to an unexpected circumstance. Alejandro (Alex) Sendra, who served as senior team captain during the fall and was recently named to the Great American Conference All-Decade Team, was unable to return to Harding after the holiday break due to health concerns.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Redding said the team has worked to make adjustments after returning in January, all while keeping their teammate Sendra on their minds.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we found out that we were going to be losing him for the season, normally you\u2019d think, \u2018Oh, everybody\u2019s going to kind of fall apart,\u2019 and think, \u2018We\u2019ve lost one of our top players,\u2019\u201d Redding said. \u201cBut in fact, just the opposite has happened. Everybody kinda rallied around and said, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re going to step up. We\u2019re going to dedicate this season to Alex.\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Junior Morgan Salvan played with Sendra as a doubles\u2019 partner for the past two years. The two had been nationally ranked as doubles partners.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s another motivation for us,\u201d Salvan said regarding Sendra\u2019s sudden absence. \u201cEvery time we are going on the court to play a team, we always have Alex on our thoughts because he always has been a great fighter \u2026 It\u2019s another motivation for us to win and to go be better everyday.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salvan has been playing doubles with sophomore  Alvaro De Lorenzo  this  semester, beating their Montevallo opponents 7-5 last weekend. It was the fourth win out of five for the pair.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior Luis Tirado, team captain, said the team has started to hit its stride through recent weeks, especially after defeating Midwestern State. He said he thinks they have begun playing more as a team than as individuals.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe started a little bit low, I think, getting back to the rhythm of how we ended the last semester,\u201d Tirado said. \u201cWhat I think helped the most is, even though we weren\u2019t playing our best in the first matches, the attitude and the desire to keep fighting.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That desire to keep fighting is what Redding said has already made this season a success. As a team, Redding said they focus a lot on attitudes, particularly on what he called a champion mindset. Watching his players work to honor Sendra has already impacted Redding\u2019s view of the year.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know, whether we win or lose \u2014 however we finish the season \u2014 it\u2019s already been a great season just seeing the guys come together for a purpose higher than themselves in dedicating this season to Alex,\u201d Redding said. \u201cI have a feeling we\u2019re going to do really well this year.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men\u2019s tennis team will play No. 20 ranked Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, tonight. Their next home match will be Feb. 21 against Blue Mountain College. As the team continues through their season dedicated to Sendra, both Salvan and Tirado agreed that one of the things they want most is support from their peers and classmates.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know American culture is more about basketball, football, volleyball, but tennis is also a tough sport,\u201d Tirado said. \u201cWe always try to represent Harding the best we can, and we need more support, like for people to come watch our home games. We\u2019d like people to come watch us and support us.\u201d<\/strong>
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