The State men’s tennis team competed at the Hilltoppers Classic, hosted Sept. 6-7 by West Liberty University.
Hilltoppers Classic was the first competition for the men’s team to compete this fall.
“They’ve been practicing since the beginning of the semester,” State men’s tennis coach, Ryan Pulliam, said.
Ryan Mullins, a sophomore at State, obtained two wins, including the consolation championship.
Pulliam said fall season prepares the team for the spring championship season and the Mountain East Conference.
“It is still very much a development stage of the season,” he said. “We are able to use our matches to gauge what we need to work on and improve, so we will be making every effort to qualify for the conference tournament and be competitive”.
State women’s tennis has gone to Nationals two years in a row.
“The women have all bought into what coaches Simms, Casto, Lorenz and myself have been selling, and no one could be more pleased,” Pulliam said. “With those experiences under my belt, I am hopeful that in the next few years we will be able to have the same opportunities with our men’s team”.
Pulliam is passionate about his team. He said the most fulfilling part of coaching is to see his team develop over each semester.
“It’s awesome to not only watch a player take my advice and apply it to their game but also to just sit back and watch them figure things out on their own and mature as the years go on,” Pulliam said.
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association regional tournament is scheduled for Sept. 28-30 in Charleston. It’s an individual tournament; singles and doubles are played without team scoring.
