Winning six out of their eight matches, the UW-Eau Claire men’s tennis team didn’t, get a chance to rest during their spring break in Hilton Head, S.C.

With two matches a day, the players had “the most difficult spring break schedule coach Gillman has ever put together,” junior captain Kevin Fawcett said.

There were 12 players who headed to South Carolina, in the island of Hilton Head, to compete for six days.

“We were pushed both physically and mentally,” Fawcett said and “we had to prove to ourselves we could handle the rigorous schedule.”

The team managed to win 9-0 in their first match as well as two other matches. The players are really close and encourage each other, Fawcett said.

“As a captain I could not have asked for more out of the guys on spring break,” Fawcett said. Most of the players play singles and doubles, which means they played 12 matches in six days.

Fawcett said their hardest match was against Denison on March 18, a 1-8 loss. Denison is ranked No. 23 in the nation and No. 5 in the central region. Moreover, it was Eau Claire’s second game of the day and the team had two previous days of matches.

“Teamwork, hard work throughout the season and knowing that tennis came first before relaxing and enjoying spring break,” Fawcett said were the reasons for such good results during the break. “I felt like our team was pushed to the limit on spring break and we rose to the challenge which was very rewarding for everyone.”

“Every match is important because if you have one bad loss or one big win, it could be the deciding factor of whether you get into the national tournament,” Fawcett said.

Good results in South Carolina will go a long way towards getting the team to nationals. Last season the tennis team also went to Hilton Head during spring break where they went undefeated at 6-0.

“We had an easier schedule last season with two fewer matches, but were very proud to go undefeated,” Fawcett said.

The team is having a good season so far with 16 wins and seven losses and is ranked No. 21 in the central region.

Now their goal is to make it to the national tournament. Despite their hard schedule, Fawcett is optimistic.

“Every match will be tough and it is important we win some key matches to have a chance at making the national tournament which is a key goal for the season and one our team is capable of doing,” he said.

Their next match will be against Wheaton College in Hanover Park, Ill. and their next match at home will be on April 3 against Elmhurst College.