BABSON PARK, Fla. (March 9, 2020) – Congratulations to Matthew Alexander on being named this week's Warrior of the Week by Webber University Athletics. Matt is a senior from Bath, England, who plays on the men's tennis team at Webber.
 
Matt is in his final season at Webber and has had a very competitive year so far. In his last two matches against Regis College on Friday, March 6, and West Chester University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, March 7, Matt won in both of his No. 1 doubles matches with Ivan Bondarenko and was victorious in both of his No 3 singles matches. "As a team, it has been a challenging season for us as we've struggled for numbers," said Matt. "However individually, I've been playing well and have had some competitive matches. The team is still having a lot of fun and we want to make the most of our last season together by enjoying the time we have left."
 
Matt's goal going into the current tennis season was to have his best season possible. Entering into the season, Matt was fit and healthy after putting in a lot of work in the offseason, and this has shown in his performance level. Matt describes singles compared to doubles as being "very different becasue doubles has shorter rallies and is more reaction based whereas in singles you can grind out the points." As a personal preference, Matt prefers playing singles but has enjoyed playing doubles with both Ivan and Marc Schneider.
 
Growing up in Bath, England, tennis was always the sport Matt loved the most despite playing many other sports as well. He began playing at the age of eight and joined a tennis club called Writhlington Tennis Club, which enabled him to compete in tournaments all across the South of England. Matt's parents were extremely supportive of him and watched every match.
 
At the age of 18, Matt made the move from Bath, England, to West Virginia to play for Davis & Elkins College, an NCAA Division-II school. He was recruited by Coach Otis Cutshaw (now Webber's Head Tennis Coach) to play there after he saw his profile through Tennis Smart, an agency that helps tennis players pursue collegiate tennis in the United States. Matt built up a good relationship with Coach Cutshaw through emails and thought Davis & Elkins would be a good fit for him.
 
Matt played his freshman year at Davis & Elkins, but when Coach Cutshaw was offered a new head coaching position at Webber International University, Matt and some of the other players still at D&E decided to make the move down south as well. Matt had always wanted to live in Florida and it was an opportunity he could not pass up.
 
Since moving to Webber, Matt believes he has grown in many different aspects of his life. "I've improved as a person, a student and as an athlete," said Matt. "I've enjoyed my time at Webber a lot". Matt's proudest moment as a Warrior so far came last season as a junior when the men's tennis team hosted Sun Conference foe Southeastern University. This was Matt's first appearance after returning from injury, and his No. 4 singles match ended up being the clinching match. It was a crazy day as they spent around five hours on the court, including having to deal with an hour rain delay that put Matt's match on hold. Once the match finally resumed, Matt described the atmosphere and the team support to be "incredible" and says he played the best game of his life thanks to his team, Coach Cutshaw and Athletic Trainer Delanie Turner. After being tied 3-3 in the deciding third set, Matt ended up just short at 6-0, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, and says that he has never played in a more grueling match before, but that everyone was extremely proud of him for his effort.
 
Matt is an integrated marketing communications major at Webber and chose this because his classes with Professor Ronald Weber were always his favorite and because he enjoys the creative side of it. Matt actually chose two other majors, sport business management and finance, before finding his calling.
 
With graduation approaching, Matt will be continuing his life in Florida as he has been offered a volunteer assistant coach positon for the NCAA Division-I Stetson University men's tennis team. "I met the team and coaching staff at Stetson and believe they have a great foundation," said Matt. "I'm really looking forward to this opportunity." Matt hopes to one day be a head tennis coach at a Division-I school himself.
 
Matt's advice to future student-athletes at Webber is "you will undoubtedly have ups and downs, but approach each challenge with a level head and learn from it. Work hard in order to be successful and achieve what you want. Have the mindset that each day you want to learn." Matt describes the opportunity to study abroad while pursuing a sport you love as once in a lifetime, and it is something that he highly recommends.
 
Congratulations to Matt Alexander on being named this week's Warrior of the Week. Matt and the Webber men's tennis team are in the middle of their season, so stay on the lookout for updates. In just one week, the Warriors will be travelling to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for a busy week of spring break tennis.
 

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*The Warrior of the Week is a new feature on the Webber International University Athletics website, written and published by student-athlete Megan Warner.
 
*Each week, the head coach from different sports will be able to put forward a student-athlete they believe deserves to be recognized. The Warrior of the Week is someone that embodies everything it means to be a student-athlete at Webber International University. They demonstrate true commitment to their program and the university as a whole. They work hard both athletically and academically, are a positive member of their community, and always strive to be the best person they can be.