Matches are starting back up this weekend as we take on two NEC rivals, LIU and Saint Francis PA. In the pre-conference poll, we were ranked six with LIU being five and PA seven. With all that considered, both matches are going to be a challenge but are winnable. Playing LIU first on Friday, and then PA on Sunday, gives us the time to prepare and recover so we are at our best for both matches.
Luckily for us, we have the home-field advantage. With these being the first outdoor matches both teams are going to play, we have been fortunate enough to be practicing outdoors for the last week and a half, giving us what I hope to be a slight advantage. With the warmer weather, we are grateful to be outdoors and be able to play at home much more frequently.
Conference matches always have an added tone of seriousness and importance. This is due to the fact that they impact your playoff ranking, which can drastically impact your results in the NEC tournament. And for those who don't know, if you win your conference tournament, you go onto the NCAA championship. I used to feel that there was a lot of pressure to perform in these matches and would often get nervous. However, I realized that this was more of a privilege than anything else. Being able to represent the school at the highest level is something that all athletes dream about. With that being said, I'm excited to get after it and hopefully put some wins on the board.