The Plattsburgh State tennis team put themselves in a good position at a crucial point of the season following a successful weekend against nonconference opponents Bard and Mount Saint Mary College.
“Bard and Mount Saint Mary are always good matchups for us, and we were lucky to get both of those wins on the road,” head coach Annmarie Curle said. “Every time you win on the road, it just bolster your confidence and sets you up for the next weekend of competition.”
The Cardinals were successful in large part this past weekend due to their strong doubles performances, as they only lost one doubles match against the two opponents. Along the way, doubles teammates junior Shari Forman and senior Sarah Drexinger captured SUNYAC doubles team of the week, the second time the Cards have won that award.
“Heading into SUNYAC play, it’s important for us to boost our confidence,” freshman Sierra Barrett said. “It’s all about the team in the long run, no matter who plays or what position, it’s to help the team out especially against SUNYACs.”
Barrett has had an impressive first year, working her way into the starting rotation by giving strong performances in her singles and doubles matches, where she pairs up with senior Jacqueline Ciriello.
“I came in as primarily a doubles player, but coach Curle has helped me transform into playing both,” Barrett said. “The strokes are a lot different, but Curle and Ciriello help me prepare switching in a short amount of time between matches.”
Today’s matchup against Johnson State College is PSUC’s senior day, where prior to the matches seniors will be honored for their contributions to the program over their time spent here.
“The seniors this year, along with coach Curle, have really shaped how Plattsburgh tennis is,” sophomore Katie Kratovil said. “This weekend is really important for us.”
These seniors have played the majority of their careers under Curle, so the day will be special for not only the seniors, but Curle as well.
“They’re very special, and that sounds cliché, but it is bitter sweet,” Curle said. “Having them the whole time I’ve been here, there has been a mutual respect right from the get-go. I just really feel that they are not only great tennis players, but they are great quality people as well.”
Following their senior day matches against Johnson State today, the Cards will hit the road to face off against Oswego State Saturday and Utica College Sunday.
“It was great winning this past weekend, but we’ll need to keep the energy up for this weekend,” Kratovil said. “It’s definitely a lot of mental preparation.”
With an overall record of 6-3, PSUC feels good with where they are in the standings and how the rest of the season will pan out.
“I’m excited to see what’s going to happen this weekend because the competition is pretty close,” Kratovil said. “I think this year as a unit, we’ve been really strong and have had a strong mentality going into matches.”
Overall, as the season starts to dwindle down and the matches get more competitive, PSUC will reflect on what they’ve done best all season and take one match at a time and constantly preparing themselves physically and mentally for the games ahead.
“We’ve always been about being our personal best,” Curle said. “While everyone’s record may not be the same at the end of the year, everybody is still recognizing what level they’re at and trying to improve.”
Email Ezra Kachaturian at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
