The Cougars are looking for a total team effort as they try to begin a late-season push when they travel to Lake Charles, La. to take on McNeese State at 2 p.m. today. | Tony Nguyen/The Daily Cougar
After earning two impressive victories at home against Prairie View A&M and St. Edwards, the Cougars stumbled against Louisiana-Monroe over the weekend, dropping the match 4-2.
Today, the Cougars travel to Lake Charles, La., to take on McNeese State at 2 p.m. in what will be their final road contest before beginning play in the Conference USA tournament on April 22 in Tulsa, Okla.
Head coach John Severance was disappointed in last weekend’s home loss and hopes to see a better effort today.
“I thought it was a disappointing loss,” Severance said. “We definitely had multiple chances to win the match outright in singles but failed to do so. We also had a match to send it into the doubles point, which I thought we had a very good shot of winning.
“But instead of stepping up to the occasion, we let it slip right by.”
Severance also pointed out that mental errors have been more prevalent than physical ones this season.
“I think we’re playing well enough to win,” said Severance. “However, we’re still making the mental errors that befuddle our coaching staff.
“We need to seize the moment and not let the moment seize us. We are flat out not doing that on all six courts. Some of us are doing a very good job; others are doing a very poor job of that.”
In regard to the upcoming match, Severance said that a victory will require a team effort that, thus far in the season, the Cougars have failed to show.
“I think every match is important,” Severance said. “Whenever that light bulb goes off in our heads and all of us play to our abilities, we are going to be a good team. It just hasn’t happened yet. So we’re trying to get to that point before (the C-USA tournament).
“If we come out and more than two or three people play well, then I think we’ll have a good time there. If not, then I think we’ll be in a dogfight.”
Although the conference championships are looming in the near future, Severance wants to remain focused on the season’s remaining matches.
“We’re playing to win as many matches before conference and win as many matches as we can when we go to Tulsa,” he said.
