A fresh pair of faces took the court in the first spring matches for men’s tennis.

In their first collegiate matches, freshmen Mateo Barroetavena and David Hess took on two nationally ranked programs in Louisville and Tennessee. While the Racers lost 7-0 in both matches, team members said they were glad to be playing once more.

“It is always better to face players that are better than you and it is great practice for when we get to conference season,” Hess said.

Hess has been a part of the team since the fall season but saw action for the first time at a place where he had practiced while in high school.

A graduate from duPont Manual High School in Louisville Ky., Hess said it was great to start his career close to home, but pressure did show up in his first match.

“It was fun to be at home but then I looked around and saw I had people that had seen me play in high school watching, and it made me nervous,” Hess said.

While Hess fell in straight sets, his was one of the most competitive matches of the day for the team.

Three days later, Hess and the Racers competed against Tennessee.

After losing the first set 6-1, Hess showed improvement in the second set, but still fell 6-3. Head Coach Mel Purcell said most freshmen don’t make such improvements.

“With a freshman you want a guy to come out, work hard and play as hard as they can and they are going to make mistakes,” Purcell said.

Purcell believes Hess will get stronger as the season progresses and the experience against this tougher competition will pay off.

“He has a good forehand and backhand, but he has to believe that he can beat this tough competition and that is the hardest thing as a freshman.”

Like Hess, Barroetavena is not the typical college freshmen. Barroetavena, a 20-year-old from Buenos Aires, Argentina, has dreamed of playing collegiate tennis for as long as he can remember.

“I always had the dream to come to the states and play in the NCAA right out of high school, but for life reasons I didn’t and always regretted it,” Barroetavena said.

One of the biggest adjustments to college tennis he must overcome is the court that he plays on.

Throughout his life, Barroetavena had only played tennis on clay courts. His arrival to Murray Jan. 9 was the first time he ever practiced on a hard surface.

After only three practices with his new team, Barroetavena was chosen to play in the team’s first matches.

“The adjustment is hard because the surfaces make the games so different,” Barroetavena said. “On clay the points are slower so you can think and play the perfect shot but on a hard court it is so much faster.”

Barroetavena lost in both matches, winning one game over the weekend. Even though the results were not what he had hoped for, Purcell said was impressed.

“He did very good considering we had only three days of practice before these matches, and he will continue to get better,” Purcell said. “It is a whole new game for him but he has the talent to be very good once he adjusts in a few months.”

Even with the losses, Barroetavena said he was just thankful to be living his dream of playing even though he chose to come to college later than most.

“If I had decided to come out of high school I wouldn’t have been ready, but now I am more mature and I can understand and appreciate all the things the University has given me,” Barroetavena said.

After the first two matches, the schedule for the Racers doesn’t get any easier, as they travel at the end of January to nationally ranked Memphis.

While the schedule is difficult, Hess said he believes these first matches will have Murray State prepared.

Said Hess: “Our next match is against another nationally ranked team, but I am hoping this experience will have me better prepared so I can play better.”

Story by Tom Via, Staff writer