Per Reflector press time.
The University of Indianapolis men’s and women’s tennis teams began their indoor seasons last week as they look to continue their strong performances from last year.
UIndy Director and Head Coach of Tennis Malik Tabet said many of the athletes on this year’s teams are freshmen, which is different from last season. Then, the team had several players with three or four years of experience. He said the team prioritizes its process.
“I don’t want to really talk about results. I think I want to talk about process,” Tabet said. “Right now, in the beginning of the season, making sure we understand the process of how we want to play, and what type of tennis we want to produce as a team.”
Sophomore men’s tennis player David Simeonov said the team is excited about the upcoming season and the emotions it expects to feel during the season. There are multiple tournaments the team is looking forward to, he said, including indoor nationals, outdoor nationals and internationals.
Senior women’s tennis player Tyffaine Pais said one of the biggest challenges the team is facing is helping new athletes adjust to the college level. She said college tennis is different from the level of tennis they played before arriving at UIndy.
“It’s also something really different from what we have been doing for our whole life,” Pais said. “College tennis is not something that you can experience before.”
According to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association website UIndy will host both the men’s and women’s DII indoor team championships later this month. The men’s tournament is Feb. 14-16, and the women’s tournament is Feb. 21-23.
According to Tabet and a pair of May 5, 2024 Instagram posts on the team’s official page, both the women’s and men’s teams won the GLVC championships in 2024. According to a bracket published by the NCAA, the UIndy women’s team lost 4-1 to the Academy of Art in the first round of the DII Championship Tournament in 2024. According to the men’s bracket, UIndy lost to Columbus State in the quarterfinals of that tournament.
According to an online schedule for the men’s team, following a pair of exhibition matches, a 2-5 loss to University of Illinois-Chicago on Jan. 19 and a match against Marian University on Jan. 25, which it won 5-2. The women’s team, according to its schedule, played exhibition matches Jan. 24 and 25 against Bowling Green and Marian, respectively. According to UIndy Athletics, the women beat Marian 6-1.
The men’s and women’s teams both began their regular seasons with Jan. 31 matches against Tiffin and Feb. 1 matches against Ferris State.
Both teams’ next matches are this Friday, Feb. 7, at home against Thomas More University. In-season conference play for both teams begins April 12 at McKendree and runs through April 26. Both conference tournaments are scheduled for the first weekend of May, with the men’s tournament in Indianapolis, and the women’s tournament in Springfield, Illinois.
