After a 7-0 sweep of Eastern Washington last weekend, the Washington men’s tennis team (1-0) will shift its attention to a matchup against Michigan.
The Wolverines are No. 17 in the country, but the Huskies are not looking at that.
“We’re just looking to play against guys that aren’t purple and gold,” head coach Matt Anger said. “Even though it’s early season, I expect them to be well prepared and solid, so it’s a great test for us.”
Junior Piers Foley had a similar outlook going into the matchup with the maize and blue.
“It doesn’t matter who’s on the other side,” Foley said. “You’re just playing tennis.”
The whole team is feeling good after the strong showing against EWU and will try to carry that momentum with them when they face Michigan.
“Going into this week, we just want to focus on the same thing,” Foley said. “Just focus on the attitude, focus on how to make the team win, not just myself.”
The team was pleased to get in some sort of rhythm after the win on Saturday.
“When we did play, it had been too long since our last match,” Anger said. “It’s good to get the first one in, but even better after the next few.”
One very encouraging start came from senior Mitch Stewart. He was pleased with his performance and is looking to keep it going.
“That’s the kind of tennis I want to play,” Stewart said. “I want to be able to move around the court really well and I thought I did well with that.”
Going forward into the season, Stewart feels like he can be a force on the court if he can continue playing the style of tennis he wants to play.
“I want to be aggressive when I can and use my legs to run down some balls,” Stewart said. “I just want to play the highest percentage shot that comes to me every time. It sounds easy, but it’s really not.”
That aggressiveness will be key for the whole Washington team in a tough match against Michigan on Saturday.
Reach Reporter Kyle Gehler at sports@dailyuw.com . Twitter: @KyleGehler
