Hey Club Tennis,
Hope you all had good weekends.
1. Here's a recap of the Sectional Tournament this weekend:
We sent down 2 teams to Norman, Oklahoma to participate in the Sectional Championships with teams from Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Oklahoma.  In pool play on Saturday, Wash U A took down SLU B and Wichita State, and lost a fairly close match to Iowa State A, putting us in 2nd place in our pool, and 3rd seed overall for the champions bracket.  Since it was supposed to rain on Sunday, they made us play our first match of the champions bracket Saturday evening.  We had the bad luck to have to face SLU A first round, and we played a really good, close match, but ended up losing by 3 games, 24-21.  It was a heartbreaker, since it meant we were out of contention for 1rst, 2nd, or 3rd place, but it was a well-played match on both sides, and SLU's mixed doubles team really played well.  Our second team, WU2, was in a tough pool with the eventual champion, University of Oklahoma, but they played some close matches.  On Sunday, Wash U A lost two more close matches to Iowa State B and Oklahoma State, and WU2 lost a close one to Wichita State.  Overall, everyone had a good time, and though we didn't clinch a birth to Nationals, we still have the possibility of getting a wild card bid.  They haven't yet posted anything on the USTA website, but I'll let you know as soon as that comes out. 
2. Due to continuing cold/rainy weather, we will not start outdoor practice this week, but we will start Monday, March 18, the week we get back from Spring Break.  Practices will be outside on the WashU courts, and will take place 1-3pm Sunday, and Monday and Thursday evenings, most likely 7-9pm, but this will depend on the varsity practice times. 
3.  Our next match will most likely be hosted by us here at Wash U, against SLU, Wichita State, and Missouri S and T (formerly Rolla).  It will probably take place late March, so stay tuned for more information on that. 

Thanks to everyone who participated in Sectionals this weekend, you all made a great contribution to the team.  I know we all really want to get back out to play and get a lot better, so keep that desire strong.  Wishing everyone a good week,
Brian Blosser