To say the least, the men’s tennis team was at a disadvantage this past weekend when it traveled to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

The Duhawks lost a couple of matches to teams that have been awfully tough in recent years, UW-Eau Claire and Lakeland College. There were other factors, too.

“They were really good teams, the guys weren’t prepared, and maybe that was my fault,” said Coach Dave Hammel. “I also didn’t have all my starting lineup there. Three people were missing, so (my players) had to play with different people.

“We also don’t have indoor facility, and (our opponents) are used to hitting on their court day-in and day-out,” Hammel continued. “The power box is different and the timing is all off. We only have 15 minutes to warm up. But towards the second match, guys started to figure some things out and played better.”

The Duhawks now have a record of 4-6 on the season, but Hammel doesn’t sound overly concerned about the team’s record this early in the season. The most important part of the schedule, the Iowa Conference regular season, is still a month away.

One athlete who continues to impress Hammel is sophomore John Keane.

“Every time anything goes wrong, he never shows a negative attitude. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Hey, show a little emotion. Can you throw your racket against the wall just once?’” Hammel joked. “He always keeps a positive attitude.”

This weekend, the Duhawks will travel to Fulton, MO, to play matches against Westminster College and Missouri Baptist College.

“We’ve got some stuff to work on this week for our next match this weekend in Missouri,” Hammel said. “No matter how cold it is outside, were gonna get out there mext week and start practicing. (Westminster) should be a pretty even match.”

But the match against Missouri Baptist, a Division II school, will be another tough one for the Duhawks.

“The guys on that team get athletic scholarships, so I’m guessing no one on that team will be first-year players,” Hammel said. “I mean I’ve got a first-year tennis player who’s a starter. Their No. 2 guy said he’s been playing every day since he was 6 years old. And he took out one of our best players, junior Jared Levy, like it was no big deal.”