By Andrew Hornback
There is a sign hanging above the door in the men’s tennis locker room that reads “2009 Big East Champions.”
Although the Big East tennis championships won’t start until April 16, head coach Rex Ecarma is confident his team will win the event.
“We should win the Big East,” Ecarma said. “Our regular season schedule is tougher than what we will face down there, outside of Notre Dame and South Florida. Notre Dame won the last two titles and South Florida will have home court advantage, but we have the talent to win it.”
Before heading to Tampa to compete in the Big East championships, the Cards will finish the season facing eight consecutive ranked opponents.
“It will show how mentally tough these guys are,” Ecarma said. “We are facing some great competition. We will face Tulsa on the road, who at one point was No. 13 in the country. It should prepare us for Tampa.”
Redshirt junior Tim Barnoud, who was a part of the 2006 team that won the Big East, knows how hard it is to win the tournament.
“It takes a team effort,” he said. “Even the players who aren’t actually playing need to be very supportive of their teammates at all times. Earlier in the season I wasn’t playing much and I did a lot of coaching myself, it is definitely a team effort. When coach put the 2009 Big East Champions sign up in September it showed the he believes in us and that our work ethic and dedication will determine if we actually do it.”
To Ecarma, the determining factor whether or not the Cards win the title could be sophomore Alejandro Calligari.
“[Calligari] is the unsung hero of this team. He is the most unappreciated player I have. When he plays his best, he is almost impossible to beat. If there were a 3-3 tie in the Big East championship match, I’d have confidence putting him out there to win it for us,” Ecarma said.
Since losing his singles match against Virginia Tech on March 6, Calligari hasn’t lost a singles match.
“He is also stepping out of his comfort zone and becoming a great doubles player,” Ecarma said. “He is nationally ranked in doubles which really shows how talented he is.”
“I just go out there and want to win every match. When I lost the clinching match against Wake Forest I told myself that it would never happen again. I’m ready to win the Big East. South Florida will have a slight advantage because the weather and all, but we aren’t making excuses because we know we have the talent to win it,” Calligari said.
The Cards will finish the season at home against Notre Dame on April 11, before heading to South Florida for the Big East championships.
