The Auburn University Tennis Club has had a strong season this year and will compete in the 2014 USTA Tennis On Campus National Championship in Surprise, Az., April 10-12.
Jonathan Hibbert will be one of the players traveling to Arizona for Auburn, and he said he thinks Auburn could have great success out West.
"I feel pretty confident, and we have a good chance of winning this year," said Hibbert. "We beat the reigning national champions, the University of Georgia, this year in our sectional tournament, so I feel pretty confident about us doing well."
Auburn came in 33rd place in 2013, a finish Hibbert feels Auburn can really improve on in the 2014 championship.
Auburn will first compete in a pool with two or three other schools and depending on how well they do in pool play will determine the next bracket they are placed into.
Christian Lyerly, another member of the competitive club team, is excited about the opportunity to go out to Arizona to compete against the rest of the country.
"I am really looking forward to just going out to Arizona and having fun," said Lyerly. "The week should be filled with some good competitive tennis. My favorite part of the tournament is the team aspect. Tennis is an individual sport but the way club tennis is formatted allows for it to truly feel like a team effort. This aspect helps contribute to the overall team feel and fuels the competitiveness."
During the championship, there will be one set of men's and women's doubles, one set of men's and women's singles and a mixed doubles set.
"The club rules are actually a lot different," Hibbert said. "It's really short and fast. It's only six games, and I'm trying to get the rules changed."
Lyerly, on the other hand, does enjoy the quicker matches and he feels it gave Auburn a competitive edge to get to nationals this year.
"I actually like playing just the 6 games in a match," said Lyerly. "It puts the pressure on right from the start of the match and you have to make sure that you get off to a good start and maintain a high level of play throughout the short set. Playing just the six games forces you to be clutch in the pressure situations, and we have been fortunate enough to seize those key points to help to get our bid to nationals."
The competition team consists of eight players who will be traveling to Arizona to compete in the tournament. The airfare cost will have to be covered by each individual player while the hotel and some meals will be paid for by the club sport.
Auburn has competed in two tournaments this spring prior to the national championship in April. One tournament was in Tennessee and the other was a sectional tournament in Auburn where Auburn won both tournaments.
The Auburn Tennis Club is open to any Auburn student and anyone who wants to join can. You can find out more information on Auburn's club sports page or by contacting them at tennis.club@auburn.edu
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