When UH faces Stephen F. Austin at Galleria Tennis and Athletic Club for its first match, the players on the other side of the court will be familiar to Patrick Sullivan.
Sullivan, the UH tennis coach, will face the team he led last season. He coached two seasons at Stephen F. Austin, leading the Lumberjacks to the two greatest seasons in school history in terms of wins and winning percentage, compiling an overall record of 43-10.
Sullivan said knowing the talents and weaknesses of the opponent will give the Cougars an advantage against the Lumberjacks, who rank 59th in the nation.
“(They’re) a very good team that is close to my heart, but on the other hand, I know them pretty well having coached them, we’ll have a good game plan against them,” Sullivan said.
“It’s a big match for us: our first opportunity to play against a ranked team. It would be a huge win for us; Houston hasn’t won against a ranked team in a long time,” Sullivan said.
Senior tennis player Maja Kazimieruk said the group is ready to take on its first opponent of the season.
“We’re going to test ourselves; I feel that we are really ready for that match. We are working really hard now; I think we are all ready to play and win,” Kazimieruk said. “We’ll just try to play tough; play our game. We understand there’s a bit of pressure on us, but we’ll just play our best — that’s our game plan.”
