ABILENE -- On a competitive hiatus for 20 days, Wednesday's men's tennis practice got a little chippy at times. Something Director of Tennis Juan Nunez loved to see -- within reason.
While watching the women's team battle Wichita State that afternoon, Nunez was forced to stop to address the men's team whose verbal barbs could be heard over the top of the women's contest.
Nunez didn't necessarily like being interrupted, but did appreciate seeing the players light fires under one another even if it was just at practice.
"They were pushing each other like brothers would," he said, "and it needs to be that way every day. Now we have to take that killer instinct and be ready to hate on other teams; practices need to feel like actual matches."
ACU's next scheduled matches are this weekend at the Eager Tennis Center, battling Hardin-Simmons Friday at 3 p.m. and McMurry Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Wildcats are 2-5 on the year, riding a two-match winning streak after falling to the likes of Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Wichita State. They won their first match on Feb. 5 vs. UT Permian Basin and the following day capped Trinity, 5-2.
Several matches since then were either postponed or canceled during the severe cold snap the week of Valentine's Day.
"This is a fun team to coach," said Nunez, who admitted to being the same competitive way with his teammates when he was a Wildcat letter winner from 2005-09. "We were always around one another and we were driven by competition. This year's team is similar and they challenge me as a coach, always staying after practice to work in excess of an extra 30 minutes. Their fires need to stay lit."
