The UNA tennis team will begin its 2013 spring season with the women’s team playing West Georgia Feb. 2 and the men’s team playing UT Chattanooga Feb. 3.  

The teams will be playing West Florida, ranked in the top five of the Gulf South Conference, and Valdosta State, ranked in the top 10. The teams also have matches against seven Division I teams.

“I don’t like scheduling easy matches,” said Brice Bishop, UNA tennis head coach. “They’re going to be tested.”

The team is looking for a record season as well.

“We are all working very hard in practice and in conditioning to make sure we are all ready, both physically and mentally, for the long season ahead,” said Rob Whitsitt, junior tennis player.

The teams have finished strong in their GSC standings in the past two years. Both teams have several strong players returning with six out of the seven top men’s players and five out of the seven top female players returning. Bishop said he has high expectations for the team.

“Tennis is a team sport played by individuals,” he said. “You’re in charge of your own court.

“We are very optimistic that this will be a good year. They are a self-motivated team, and that is important.”

The team has been taking advantage of the warm winter weather for outdoor practice time.

“Normally in January we do a lot indoors, but we’ve really

gotten some good work in outside,” Bishop  said. “They’ve been practicing six days a week.”

He said the men’s team leaders are juniors Matt Feury, Aliaksei Kavalenka and Whitsitt.

Kavalenka finished the 2012 spring season with the most wins and Whitsitt had a successful fall.

“(Whitsitt) has had the best fall of anybody,” Bishop said. “I’m expecting a big year from him.”

The leaders on the women’s team are sophomore Natalia Barragan, junior Bruna Vieira and senior Mackenzie Bishop.

“We have five of our top six girls from last year returning, so we’ll have a lot of experience that other teams won’t have,” Bishop said. “We’re also coming off of two extremely successful seasons. We know how to win; it’s just a matter of translating what we know into hard work on the court.”

The teams are hoping for good fan support this season.

“It is always easier to play well when you have people out supporting you and cheering you on through the tough matches,” Whitsitt said.