M. Tennis rides momentum into category 23 Hurricanes

The men's tennis team does not typically travel very far for its matches, but it made an exception to face a talented team in No. 23 Miami.

"I know the coach there and they are a very good team," coach Nik DeVore said. "We just couldn't pass up an opportunity to play there."

Penn takes on the Hurricanes at 2 p.m. Sunday. Before that, the Quakers will make a stop in Boca Raton, Fla., Saturday at 1 p.m. to face Florida Atlantic University (4-3).

While Miami (2-2) may be Penn's most difficult opponent so far in the young season, the Quakers (2-0) are carrying momentum from drubbing local rivals Drexel and Temple, 7-0.

"After our first two matches, everyone's feeling pretty good and confident," junior Adam Schwartz said.

Despite the impressive talent on the Hurricanes' squad, the Red and Blue have victory on their minds.

"This is an opportunity," DeVore said. "We certainly want to win these matches. That's the goal."

At the very least, one obstacle that won't plague the Quakers in Florida is overconfidence.

After Penn's sweep of Drexel in the first match of the season, DeVore hoped his players would be immune from complacency in their matchup against Temple. In tennis, keeping a healthy frame of mind is tremendously important given how mentally charged the sport can be.

"I'm trying to get the guys to play with a lot more intensity with each other in practice," DeVore said. "You tend to play a bit more passive when you think you're gonna win."

One other challenge looms large for the Red and the Blue, however. They will be playing outdoors for the first time since October and on unfamiliar hard courts at Miami.

"We'll be outside with the elements," DeVore said, "and the conditions will be much slower than we're used to."

The second-year coach, however, isn't too concerned about the impact this will have on his players. To him, "that's just another part of the challenge."

Schwartz is aware of the difficulties that come with playing an elite opponent like Miami. He is far from discouraged, however, by the other team's prestige.

"I want to compete well and make my opponents work for every point," he said, "[while] hopefully getting a win which would be a very good accomplishment."

And there's no doubt the players' excitement mirrors the enthusiasm of their coach.

"I'm really excited," Schwartz said. "They're really good teams so it should be a lot of fun to play them."

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