This weekend, the Michigan men’s tennis team will pack its
bags and hop on the bus, traveling to the Hoosier State for
back-to-back matches against Indiana State and Indiana. The
Wolverines (1-3 Big Ten, 10-5 overall) are already experienced
travelers, having spent three weekends away from Ann Arbor this
season. Unlike the boys from “Road Trip,” Michigan
travels in style.
“We’re going to do things first class,”
Michigan coach Mark Mees said.
No cramped school bus for these athletes — the Wolverines
will make the five-and-a-half hour drive to Terre Haute in a
spacious charter bus. Because the buses are equipped with multiple
TV screens, movies are a natural way to pass the time. But not
everyone is happy with the selection of films.
“I didn’t approve of our movies last time,”
freshman Steve Peretz said. “ ‘Anger Management’
— I thought we could get a little more creative than that.
‘Bringing Down the House’ — unacceptable. Then
‘Scary Movie 2’ — which is not ‘Scary Movie
3’ — and everyone’s seen it about 100
times.”
Whether or not the movie choices are satisfactory, the trips are
normally a bonding experience for the tight-knit group. Each trip
features a team dinner, which allows the group to get together and
enjoy good food while planning strategy for the upcoming match.
“It gets us in the right mindset,” Peretz said.
“And it’s a good chance to get away from dorm food for
me, (fellow freshmen) Brian (Hung) and Ryan (Heller).”
Although the trips are mostly business, the Wolverines
occasionally find the time to enjoy the unique aspects of their
host cities. On its last road trip to State College, Michigan
sampled the ice cream at the Penn State Creamery — and
managed to avoid serious heart trouble.
“Their ice cream is so high in fat content that it’s
not even FDA approved,” Peretz said. “It was really
good.”
The road trips have their fun moments, but tennis is the
Wolverines’ main focus. They make sure to arrive the day
before the match in order to get a feel for the new playing
surface.
“Anytime you go on the road, it’s a little tougher
to get used to the court speed and the different facilities,”
Mees said.
On Friday, Michigan will take on Indiana State (5-11) in a
nonconference match-up. As soon as that match concludes, the
Wolverines will make the one-hour trip to Bloomington for a crucial
Saturday contest against the Hoosiers (2-2, 8-8). The Wolverines
have been on a roller coaster ride the last few weeks, and they
will have to bring their “A” game to take out Indiana
on the road.
“Indiana’s going to be very good,” Mees said.
“They’ve got some good depth right down the lineup.
It’s going to be a tough match.”