Home will be a welcome sight for the University of Memphis men's tennis team. Players have been on the road since Jan. 31.
They return to the Racquet Club of Memphis this weekend, hosting the No. 60 University of Central Florida (12-6) on Friday and the No. 25 University of South Florida (14-5) on Sunday.
This weekend's matchups are critical for the No. 26 Tigers (11-4, 1-0 AAC) with American Athletic Conference tournament starting April 18.
Memphis head coach Paul Goebel said both matches will be tough, but he likes his team's chances.
"Both teams are very well coached, and they both have very good tradition with their tennis teams," Goebel said. "We're excited to play at home and it's been a while since we've played at home. We've been on the road a bit this year. It's going to be two tough teams. We'll have to play well, but I think we'll be ready."
The Tigers are coming off a strong showing last weekend in Louisville, Ky., where they went 2-0 with wins over the No. 35 University of Louisville and No. 41 Virginia Commonwealth University.
The Blue and Gray rode an impressive performance by senior Joe Salisbury, who won two singles matches and two doubles matches. Salisbury won his 20th and 21st wins of the season, prompting the American to honor him with their Player of the Week award for the second time this season.
The U of M fought through cold and windy conditions in Louisville, but Goebel was pleased with his team's ability to remain unfazed by the elements.
"We always have a good match with Louisville," the ninth-year coach said. "And the conditions were super windy, cold just the kind of day where you really gotta tough it out and be strong physically and mentally. It was just great to see our guys do that."
The Tigers rely on a senior-laden lineup. Three of the top-four singles players on the team are in their final season for the U of M. Senior Johnny Grimal is 18-10 on the year, and senior David O'Leary sits just behind at 14-11.
Despite a solid lineup of seniors, a junior leads the way in singles for the Tigers. Connor Glennon posted a 14-6 record thus far this season, and an 8-3 mark in the No.1 singles slot. He was ranked the 55th best player in the country in the most recent poll.
This weekends slate against two top-50 opponents segways the Tigers into the postseason, and Goebel and the Tigers couldn't be happier to be hosting the American Conference Tournament.
"To play the conference championship at home is a great experience for our guys, our fans," he said. "Last year, we hosted the conference championship, and we got so many people out here. We hope to do that again this year. It's a huge help to have the support. The guys get to play on their own courts and stay at their own house, so I think it is a big advantage, and we hope to use it to our advantage."
Sitting undefeated both at home and in the American, Memphis is primed to make a deep postseason run - a goal they set early in the season.
"We set our goal for the NCAA Tournament early in the season," Goebel said. "It's been going well, but you're never sure until the end of the season where things are going to fall. After a weekend like that, I feel very good about our chances, and I hope to keep the momentum that we have."
It all starts on Friday at 2 p.m. at the Racquet Club of Memphis with a match against the Central Florida Knights.
