Fourteen Loves N jne - Iove. Goose - egged. Shut - out. Bageled. Dominated. Nine to zero. I n the intensity of a match-point, it's all or nothing. And it was usually "all" for the Bisons. A team must have at least five o f nine individual victories to win the whole match. For the Bison tennis team, this did not seem to be a problem. Amass– ing their overall record of 16 - 7, 14 of their 16 victories were 9 - 0 shut - outs. "The way matches are set up, it's extremely difficult to beat a team nine - zero," sen ior Jared Walters said. "Within one match against one team, we have nine dif– ferent games going on, and they all count. Having 14 shutouts in one season is a great accomplishment." Coach David Elliott explained that his pre - match strategy was to keep his team relaxed and players focused on th e parts of the game they could control. 'We have to keep positive and play one point at a time," Elliott said. "We focus on the things we do best, not on our opponent. Our objective is to win ." Because individual matches were played Simultaneously, players said it was dif– ficult to concentrate on their match alone . They had to overcome self-pressure to be successful. "It's a team effort for me until 1 step on the court," Walters said. " I don't think about my teammates' matches or my doubles partner. I focus on what I need to do to win. By winning, 1 help the team." Each team match consisted of three doubles matches and six singles matches. Senior Marco Ruiz, who broke the record for most Si ngles victories in a season, attributed their success to their support for each other. In the big picture, he said it was all about the team. "Each match is worth the same," Ruiz said. "The same amount of effort needs to be put into every game, whether you are the number six player or number one player. They are equal. It 's one game won or lost for the team. We encourage each other to work hard and play his best. " Not only did the Bisons play and work successfully together, but they also showed a strong unity among themselves. Everyone seemed to get along with ev– eryone else. "We are like a big family," Ruiz said. "We spend at least three to four hours to– gether every day. We travel, eat and play together . All of my good friends at Hard– ing came from the tennis team." The team finished their season second in the West Division of the Gulf South Conference and competed in the conference tournament in Montgomery, Ala – bama . The 2009 season marked 36 consecutive years of winning seasons for the Bison tennis team. Janet Orgain Row 1: K. Swindle, A. Campos, J. Walters, B. Hemphill, O. Teniyev, C. Rech. Row 2: H. Ruiz, M. Ruiz, B. Hoch, C. Beach, R. Roberts. Olzhas Teniyev Craig Rainbolt Blake Hemphill Craig Rainbolt Marco Rui~Craig Rainbolt Aida Campos Craig Rainbolt 268 a thle tics
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