Georgia Southern women's tennis heads to Peachtree City this week with a lot of momentum as the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Tournament gets underway on Wednesday. The Eagles are the No. 4 seed in the tournament and take on No. 13-seed Southern Miss at 9:30 a.m. in first round action.
An outstanding regular season for the Eagles sees Georgia Southern come into the postseason with a 17-5 overall record and an 8-3 mark in the Sun Belt. The team tied for third in the regular season league standings and the eight Sun Belt wins are a new program high since Georgia Southern joined the league in 2014. The 17 wins are also tied for the second-most in a single season in program history, trailing only the 2021 Sun Belt champion squad that collected 19 wins.
Head Coach Sean McCaffrey believes the Eagles are in a great place heading into the postseason and says the mood of the team is a positive one. "I think the team is in a very good place as we begin this next phase of the season," said Coach McCaffrey. "Tournament time is simply a different breed of competition. There are more nerves for everyone involved. You will find some teams beginning to peak at the right time, and you may find teams ready to begin their summer and put an end to the long season. I truly believe we still have yet to see the best from this particular team this year. I know this team is quite driven and eager to prove what they can do, both to themselves, but also to the rest of the conference."
The Eagles open up action against Southern Miss, a team that Georgia Southern defeated by a 4-0 score earlier this year in Hattiesburg. If the Eagles get past USM, they would take on the winner of No. 5 seed Appalachian State - a team the Eagles did not play this season - and No. 12 seed Georgia State, a team that Georgia Southern just played four days ago. After that, it's the semifinals and possibly the finals, which makes for a very challenging week of possibly playing four matches in four days.
"When we made it to the final in 2019, we played three matches over four days," said Coach McCaffrey. "And on the actual third day, we had a rain out and both ourselves and South Alabama had been given a day to rest due to the rain. When we won in 2021. we had to play three matches in three days, which - due to how we planned things and prepared throughout the season - we did a really good job and I think our prep work allowed us to be ready. With the possibility of playing four matches in four days, that will be different. We believe we are in good shape and fit enough to run that gauntlet, yet it's going to be a real challenge. But it's one I feel that we are up for. Once you get to the final, you are pretty much running on adrenaline and excitement. I believe we will be ready for the task."
The regular season was one of the most successful ones in school history, but the Eagles still feel like they have a bit of unfinished business in the tournament. "We are happy with how we have done this season overall," said Coach McCaffrey. "But I know that the team wishes they could have back our Sun Belt matches with Coastal Carolina & South Alabama. Those are two matches that I don't believe anyone is happy with. Our approach to those matches did not align with how we generally prepare, nor attack a tennis match for Georgia Southern Tennis. We have learned quite a bit since those matches. Losing to Old Dominion was also a very valuable experience for us where we can take away far more positives than negatives. At this point in the year we all know our roles and what is needed to be done in order to be successful. So now we will roll up our collective sleeves and get to work."
So what will it take for the 2023 version of the Eagles to make a third trip to the Sun Belt Championship match in the last four tournaments?
"We talk a lot about making certain we are focusing on the details in all we do," said Coach McCaffrey. "Making sure we take care of the little things. Often times we find that it's the distractions outside the court that find a way of somehow interfering with how one plays or competes. We won't have time for anything except making certain that our minds and bodies are right where we need them to be in order to function at our best. We will do our best to make sure we keep things simple, get into our normal competition day and pre-match rhythm and routine, and focus on one point at a time. Nothing more. We won't focus on who we MAY play next, or which side of the draw another team is on. We know that in order to play for a title you will need to get to day #4 and that is what the women are focused on."
All matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ and also live stats will be available. Full links to all the action are available on the Sun Belt Conference's tournament website at https://sunbeltsports.org/sports/2023/3/15/2023-womens-tennis-championship.aspx?path=wten.
