Luke Joyce, a senior tennis player, displayed an impressive performance by getting as far as the semifinals in the ITA South Central Regional in Abilene.

Joyce said he was appreciative of his display in Abilene as he outplayed some of his rivals.

“I think I did pretty well,” he said. “I beat some guys I haven’t beaten before, like the number two seed who I played in the round of 16. I beat him in straight sets, which is good for me.”

Although Joyce had a strenuous day, he was able to beat one of his toughest opponents from previous matches. Bruno Tiberti, from Oklahoma Christian University, was the second seed  and who Joyce played the third round.

“I played my first match at 5 a.m. in the indoor courts as a result of rain,” Joyce said. “I got some sleep at the hotel before getting back on court in the morning to play against Bruno, which I always knew was going to be a tough match.”

Head Tennis Coach Scott Linn said he thought Joyce did remarkably in spite of the havoc the weather tried to wreak.

“Luke had a fantastic composure when players tried to make runs at him,” Linn said. “He displayed excellent serving and defined offense. He did a very good job of handling the schedule adjustments because of the rain and actually finished his second round match at 1:30 a.m. Saturday night.”

Subsequent to Joyce’s conquest over Tiberti was another 6-3, 6-0 victory over St. Mary’s Zach Nicholson in the quarterfinals. Although he was unable to make it past the semifinals, Joyce said he saw this accomplishment as a great improvement from previous seasons.

“As a freshman, I made it to the round of 16,” he said.
“Going two rounds past that was really good for me. It shows all the hard work I have put in the past few seasons has really paid off.”

According to Joyce, the tournament is also a learning experience and he hopes to improve on his play with time.

“It’s only the beginning,” he said. “Obviously I didn’t win the tournament so there are things I need to work on and that’s what I have learned. I need to keep working hard to get there.”

The Mustangs are looking forward to the Collin County Tournament this weekend as the players and coaches expect it to be a great tournament.

“It is normally a good tournament at Collin County,” Linn said. “My expectation is that we continue to get better and build each week.”

With a regional semifinals win under his belt, Linn said he has plans to get the team fit enough for the next event.

“We are preparing for the tournament by making some adjustments to our in-match routines, increasing the level in practice, and making gains in our fitness,” he said. “The players have been great and very receptive to making adjustments as needed.”

Staying focused and practicing intensively are what Joyce said his plans are now to be as good or even better than he was in  Abilene.

“I need to focus and work hard every day, especially while training,” he said. “I expect to make a good run again like I did at the ITA Regional.”

Even though Joyce said he expects a tough opponent, he expects his teammates to perform well also.

“I’d expect my teammates to at least get to the second round of the tournament,” he said. “It is sometimes luck of the draw. Sometimes you’d come up against a strong opposition in the first or second round.”

The ITA Regional seems to have motivated Joyce as he thirsts for greater opportunities to make an impact.

“The regional was a huge motivation to really work hard to get to the finals but it is one match at a time,” he said. “I’ll just have to focus on winning the first match right now.”