Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
And we welcome you back to the five oh six
Pub inside Hugo Back, Yo, man, it's awesome here downtown
Grand Forks, the five oh six Pub inside Hugo's Pure Market,
And of course Hugos is the official grocery store of
U n D Athletics, and of course the five oh
six Pump, the longtime home now of the Hawk Talk Show,
and we appreciate them having us out for our final
(00:23):
go round here tonight, we turn our attention to U
and D tennis. Now, imagine this. You're the head coach
of both the men's and women's tennis programs, Tim, and
your overall record is twenty five and seven here and
the season is not even over yet.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
I was a really good tennis player. I think we've
discussed this before.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
I hit a lot of home run you did, yes,
So everybody here please welcome Tom Poyson, Tom head tennis coach.
This is awesome and uh, congratulations both programs right now
back from Florida. You've had them to away, you chriss
cross the globe basically, and there's still winning for you.
(01:07):
They're still winning.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Putting them you give them some rewards and put him
through some adversity. But you can you can promise Hawaii
and Florida to recruit you're you're probably gonna come out ahead.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
A few times I.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Had one question, go ahead, because I'm not familiar with
all of it. We know in golf that they played
down to have what five or six guys that play
in the tournament. Yeah, so the same thing. Yeah, do
you do the same thing in tennis? So we traditionally
down to who's playing, travel.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
With seven or eight, knowing that six and six complain
the match. And just like golf, we cannot substitute in
once the match starts. But we've got we've got a
player on each team that plays in the doubles line
up and on the singles line up, so we would
require seven anyway.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
So everybody plays, everybody plays. Once in a while, there's
somebody there that doesn't play.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
But but you're one injury away, when one illness away
from from needing somebody.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
I just wondered about that because I know in golf
that's all works. I wasn't sure about tennis.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Let's start with the women's program here. First of all,
let's talk about the Summit UH performers of the week
in fact, actually you and E swept the singles tennis
honors after a perfect week for both the men's Peak
Performer Tennis Performer of the Week, and that is of
course I'm gonna get this Leandro zick Regan.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
I guess that's about as close as it's It's almost
like like the NHL team Kracken he goes.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Okay, so Krocken and and then ethel Lee on the
women's side. Also the seventh League Peak Performer of the
Week in singles, two seventh League awards this week. So
tell us a little bit about the these individuals and
how good they're playing right now.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
So, so Leandro had a great fall. He transferred to
US last year. He played for the number one junior
college in the country a couple of years ago, Colleague College,
and was on a very good team there and it
was looking for some opportunities to get some more playing time.
But he's he's gone from from you know, guy that
would play you know, probably three four to a guy
that's our our legitimate number one player and has a shot,
(03:05):
i think, to to get some honors in something league
this year. Had a great fall advanced as far as
any un d player has all time at our regional
event against some of the beat a couple of power
for players from from schools that are very very real now.
So he's his confidence is high. The guy works extremely hard.
He's he's hard to get about, buys it. He's as
fast as player as I've coached in college, I think,
(03:27):
and his his drive to to.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Improve on himself every day is pretty good.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
This is a guy that's doing it at the number
one single spot. So he's playing everybody's best exactly. I mean,
that's pretty amazing. When you're going one on one against
the best, that's just that's an incredible thing because you
have to be so dialed in. There's no relenting in
your opponent. They're they're going to give you. That's the
best player that they've got. They're beating all their teammates
(03:56):
and and he's doing it. It's incredible.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
How does that work? Okay, so always have to put
do you say this is.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
Our numbers, there's a there's a there's a stacking rule.
So yeah, learning and it gets it gets close.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
I mean we've got we've got positions where that it's
a fine line between three and four and no way
nobody would ever question if you're rotating. But there's there's
a there's a rule and when lost records come and play.
But that's that's you bring up a good point. That's
one of the hardest things I think that junior tennis
players go through when they get to college is for
years and years they played junior tournaments where if you're
a good player, your first round might not be that tough,
(04:28):
your second round you're still probably a heavy favorite. Your
third round maybe to get a little tougher. And and
you play here, you're playing the person that's your equal
on the other team every match. There's no warm up
match to get ready, so you're you've got to be
on every time.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
So if the other team's number one guy is really good,
you can't put your three guys exactly exactly. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
So and then in the ethical side of things, I
know she's not your number one, but she's she's really
having a great year. And and you know, those those
wins add up because when you're a number two or
whatever it might be, speaking of who you had at
number one and number two two veterans that have graduated,
that's not easy to step into those roles, is it.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
No and and the women's See that's kind of the
story this year is we we graduated not just a
fifty percent of our roster, but also some players that
had you know, to the top two players had over
two hundred and forty wins in their career here combined,
and and you lose your top three players, and it's
it's not easy. So new players, they're new to you
and d some of them are new to college tennis,
(05:31):
and they've it. You know, it took a while in
the fall for them to integrate themselves with the team
and get confident. They come in with a lot of
pressure because they think, Okay, this is where I transferred to.
I want to impress my teammates and my coaches, and
this is my last stop. And so we kind of
hit our stride right about the beginning of the spring season,
which is a good time to kind of to come together.
But you speak, ethels. Ethel's done a great job. I've
we've we've you know, she's starting kind of in the
(05:52):
middle line up. She's up to two now, and she's
she's a fun player to watch. She she she hits
the ball extremely hard. She's got an aggressive mind set,
she serves in volleys at times. I mean, so she's
got a lot of variety. But she's been on about
a five or six match streak right now where where
she's been kind of rolling. This was a tough match
on Sunday, one of the better players I've seen her beat.
It was kind of a tooth and nail dogfight. But
(06:13):
she's she's really impressive.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
So okay, there's another question. Okay, go ahead, how do
you move from number three to number two?
Speaker 4 (06:20):
So there are ways and I probably should say this too.
She she moved to two more bags.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
That's just necessarily her.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
But right any spot, yeah, so sometimes you just it
has nothing to do with the player ahead of you faltering.
You just play your way into that spot. And we're
very close. So you know the Eulis Schultza has been
playing two for us and could easily be our number
two player. She's it was more that Ethel was just
on a hot streak and you were kind of riding
that for a little bit. But that's the part as
(06:46):
a coach. You don't want to you don't want to
discourage the player that switches to a lower spot in
the lineup. And this is really the case was that
Ethel was just playing extremely well and we could probably
flip them whenever we wanted to and giving her.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
A shot to play too.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
But yeah, so you could, I mean, you could move
up if somebody struggling, you could move up if if
you're really hitting the hot streak.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
That's your determination though, right correct, right right, the coaching staff.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
All right, So when you when you look at getting
nice wins in something league play, you know you were
in Florida, you return back, you got to get right
into some key seventh League matches against Oral Roberts on Sunday,
and you take care of business there were you maybe
really proud of your team at that point to manage
and handle a quick turnaround being on the road, being
(07:32):
on the spring break trip or whatever, and then being
able to focus right in and handle business right into
something league play.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Yeah, And I think, I mean, I'm sure every coach, tennis, coach, hockey, coach, basketball,
I think every sport. You look at the schedule to
being in the year and you really, Okay, this stretch
is going to be the gauntlet, Like this is the
tough part and we knew it and its coaches colin
I were were preparing for that, and you don't want
to you don't want to talk too much about it,
or you put it in their head. But we knew
coming from we haven't been outside, we haven't been in
(07:59):
seventy eighty degree weather in a long time to a
goo from. And each team played three consecutive days, which
is rare in tennis anyway in Florida, A long travel
day Friday, a quick practice on Saturday back indoors, and
playing a conference match. So yeah, I told both teams
after Sunday like that was. I thought that was as
good a mental and emotional effort as we could have
had to be that prepared to play or Roberts on
(08:21):
Sunday after after that week and not just almost you
almost want a day or two off after a spring
break trip and needed and I think they did a
really good job of focusing on what was at hand
and the opposite.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
It was a great effort.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Will we have a Will we be doing hit with
the Hawks again this year?
Speaker 4 (08:39):
We are? And I loved it.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
I went last year and they were so kind to me,
They were so kind to be. I did hit with
the Hawks. It was a blast, they were I hit
a couple but I actually returned it a few times.
But if you're even a novice player like me who
hasn't played in years, I would recommend it to get
to know our tennis teams. They're just wonderful people.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
And that's and that's a that's a tradition that started
long before I got here. Tom to Tom Win and
Kylie Anderson and my associate head coach, they had started
that and it's it's great to see him.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
They built such a good I mean.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
We have seventy five to one hundred and twenty five
people show up at a tennis match, which is which
is rare in the in the power for conferences. So
to get that many people, and that's a credit to
them in the community and to the players. We do
these hit with the Hawks and and the players genuinely
enjoy it. They get out there and they're not shy
but interacting with the community members. And so we have
two coming up. I'm gonna panic and probably get the
day trunk. I know, one kind of in in late April,
(09:35):
but one in March, and I'm blanking on the day.
But yes, we won't get that information. If we want
to see you back out there.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Yeah, look, look for the Fighting Hawks dot com to
or they get to do what hit with the Hawks. Yeah,
we literally just take the court and we'll play like
an interactive game, like well if you if you return
for a point, you get to stay in the game,
so to speak. And you try to try to go
school a little bit. You know what. There are are
a couple of players, amateurs that come in and try
(10:03):
to maybe try to impress some of those un d
tennis players. I am not one of them, and so
it really was me about just interacting with the players
and getting to know them and and and they're just
they were very nice to me, and and you know,
even when I hit one into the net, they're like, hey,
just get back into the end of the line.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Well, yeah, there's not a lot of time, but you
don't get a lot of time to sit and think
about anywhere.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
It's moving pretty fair, it was.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
It was a heck of workout. Let me just tell
you I hurt for days after that because I hadn't
been I don't know how they do it. Tell us
a little bit about your upcoming schedule. I think you're
an Omaha with a couple of matches coming up, right.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Right, and and kind of kind of an indoor it
will be. Omaha is one of the few players so
irregardless of weather. We usually have a fifty degree rule
where if it's over fifty degrees.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
It goes outside.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
But they are they only have an indoor facility they
can play it this year, so we will be indoors
and then likely outdoors the next day against Creighton, who
are who are strong on the men and women's side,
So both teams will play Omaha on that Friday and
then go right into Creton the next day.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
So this was seventy seven there last Thursday, when we're
in Omah twenty nine on Fridays.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
No exactly, exactly exactly, So yeah, but that's a that'll
probably have a lot I think that that match and
then our next weekend will probably a lot to do
with seating for some league conference matches and your things
like that. So good part of the schedule for us.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Well, Tom, we really appreciate you swinging in and visiting
with us about your program.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
We know they learned a lot.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Some incredible matches ahead here and the final choice weekend
is not too far away here in the beginning of April.
For your teams with Senior weekend coming up, and that's
an early April, so just make sure you follow Fighting
Hawks dot com. It's been an absolutely fantastic run and
we appreciate you. Good luck and safe travels this week.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Thanks so much, appreciate the change.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Thanks all right, Tom Boyce and everyone you indeed Tennis,
we appreciate him. All right, Well, this is fun. We're
gonna get one more coach. We're gonna talk U and
D softball when we return here to Hawk tag. Wow,
no pressure or anything in the summing league season about
(12:15):
to start. Jordan Stevens will slide in next after our
break as we continue with more from the five oh
six pub and Hawk Talk all across the Fighting Hawks
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