Rain or shine, the Grand Valley State University men’s tennis team put on a strong showing at the GVSU Invitational at Jenison High School on Friday and Saturday.

The Lakers, who won every individual flight in which they had players, were led by strong showings from senior Phillip Claus (A-singles, A-doubles) and junior Jeff Globerson (C-singles, A-doubles).

“I think we improved from last week’s tournament (the ITA Regional Championships) to this week,” Claus said. “Last weekend was only our second tournament, so I think everyone was a little nervous, but having another week together was good for everyone’s game.”

For a team that isn’t even in it’s official season, GVSU head coach John Black said his men play in three preseason tournaments that aim to give younger players experience and upperclassman a chance to compete in a tournament format.

“The fall tournaments give the team an opportunity to stay sharp and test different doubles combos and other things for spring,” he said. “They give us match play against other teams, which is important to show us how we compare to other programs.”

While the tournament may not represent anything in the standings, Black feels positive efforts help the team prepare for the regular spring season.

“It’s sort of like how football does a spring practice and spring game,” said Black, who also coaches the women’s team. “For us it’s the same thing. We’re just trying to work on our games and put some pressure on ourselves.”

The physical aspect of the preseason is to improve technical skills, but that improvement isn’t limited to on-court activities. The effect that being together in both preseason and regular season has on the team is shown off the court as well, Claus said.

“We travel together and we get together a lot as a team and I think that helps brings us closer,” he said. “It’s nice to try out different things so we can get comfortable playing together- it gives you confidence.”

That confidence may have gone up after the weekend’s success, but in the long-run health and conditioning are still the most important things in the preparations for the regular season.

“The big thing for the off-season will be to get everyone healthy and physically stronger,” Black said. “We had some injuries this fall, and one of the big things for us will be to get stronger and better conditioned to avoid those minor nagging injuries that can add up over time.”

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