Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

39° Evanston, IL
Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Men’s Tennis: After a season of road trips, the Wildcats finally return home

After several weeks on the road, the Wildcats will finally get a chance to play in front of the home fans. This weekend’s Wildcat Invitational will give Northwestern one more opportunity to make a statement before the Big Ten Singles Championship begins on October 28.

The Cats have been inconsistent this fall, which coach Arvid Swan said he acknowledged but by whichhe was undeterred. NU has been boosted by several promising individual runs this season, but all have fallen well short of a championship.

“I’m pleased with the progress,” Swan said. “The freshmen have been getting better but we’re still trying to get 100 percent right now. We’re obviously hoping to have everyone available at the start of the season.”

Most notably, senior Josh Graves made his return from a back injury last weekend, as he fought his way to the third round despite tough conditions and a lack of match play over the past few weeks.

Graves said he was pleased with his performance.

“It felt good to be competing in matches again,” Graves said. “I had a lot of fun out there last weekend.”

Though Graves’ return was the highlight of last weekend’s action, junior Spencer Wolf has been the stand-out player on the team, producing the most consistent results from week to week. Wolf said his results have given him a confidence boost, but he is hesitant to get ahead of himself.

“It’s always nice to have a good fall and know that all the work you’re putting in is paying off,” Wolf said. “At the same time, you can’t look too much into it,”

Wolf said the break between the end of the fall season next week and the beginning of dual matches in January is an important time to keep improving.

Still, he said, “It’s nice to know I’ve been doing well.”

Going into his final season on the team, Graves said he is looking to recapture the spirit of his freshman season, when he had a 25-8 record that included a 19-5 record in dual matches. He said his best memories are from that year.

“We were really fighting for each other,” he said. “It wasn’t so much about winning. We just went out and competed as hard as we could.”

This year, Graves is just as optimistic about the team’s potential. He joined Wolf in stressing the Cats need to improve between the current tournament and the start of dual matches.

“All of us, including myself, need to try to work on consistency and intensity in practice,” Graves said. “But we have a really good group of guys, hard-working guys.”

Swan echoed Graves’ comments and added his team works well together.

“There’s good team camaraderie,” Swan said. “The key to success is to get guys playing well at their respective positions. We’ve just got to keep practicing as much as we can between now and January.”

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Men’s Tennis: After a season of road trips, the Wildcats finally return home