VALPARAISO, Ind. - In its first appearance of the fall, the men's tennis team battled both the elements and tough competition at the Valpo Fall Invitational. After two days of play, Matt Bouggy, Dominik Sochurek and Lucas Dages left with a combined record of 3-6 in singles and 0-4 in doubles - not what head coach Pawel Gajdzik had hoped for from his veteran players.
"This was a challenging start for us," Gajdzik said. "The wet weather and change in venue were variables we could have adjusted too better; however, it's a good mental test to go through early in the seaon. We'll certainly expereince similar conditions during future play."
The trio was forced to play the majority of their matches indoors at the Courts of NWI once inclement weather moved over Valparaiso University on Friday afternoon.
Dages, a senior from Bradenton, Florida, demostrated the poise Gajdzik wants to see more of from his team, securing back-to-back wins after losing his opening match.
"I thought Lucas rebounded nicely," Gajdiz said. "I want him to carry that momentum into next weekend, and I want Matt and Dominik to focus on what they can improve upon. That's what's great about tennis; there's always another tournament to work towards."
The Boilermakers play host starting Friday, Sept. 23, as 16 schools travel to West Lafayette for the Purdue Fall Invitational.
