No one cares if you put in all the hard work during practice, this is sports we are talking about. All that matters is if you win or lose.

Head tennis coach John Blackburn constantly speaks of how he wants his players to go out on the tennis court and compete, but in this industry, wins are what matter.

A year ago, the men’s tennis team had a dismal season finishing the year with an overall record of 4-13 and 2-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

The horrid season began with seven consecutive losses and ended with the Panthers missing the conference tournament.

The women’s team had a much better season compared to the men’s team during last year’s season.

The women had a 9-10 record, but finished with a 5-4 conference record, earning a fifth place finish and a spot in the conference tournament.

Despite a first-round loss to Austin Peay, the women’s team had to have felt better coming into this year than the men who experienced triple the amount of losses than wins during their season.

So, what hope is there for this spring?

The fall season had its ups and downs starting at the Wright State tournament where the men finished 12-14 in singles action, but reached the finals of two doubles championships, capturing one first-place finish.

A newcomer and an old face have teamed up to give the men’s team a semblance of consistency. 

Freshmen Robert Skolik and senior Warren Race picked up the first place finish to start the season and won another match together against Missouri-St. Louis.

There is no question the doubles play has been the strong suit for the men, but if the singles continue to be mediocre, a similar fate will fall on the men.

As for the women’s team, call it momentum, or whatever, the Panthers have shown great promise during the fall season. 

If there is one player to look forward to seeing in the spring it is second-year player Sephora Boulbahaiem.

She has recorded three wins in singles play and another in doubles.

Outside of Boulbahaiem, the duo of freshman Ali Foster and senior Kristen Laird started the season strong, going 4-0 in doubles play this fall.

There cannot be any excuses this year for both teams.

There are a total of three freshmen on both squads, so the youth argument is gone.

The upperclassmen must step up and lead their respective squads. It is time to take all that hard work the players put in during the week and execute it on the court.

This spring you should expect better.

The teams return to action in January, and from then until the end of the season, it’s time not only to compete, but to win.

 Aldo Soto can be reached at 581-2812 or asoto2@eiu.edu.