Princeton University men’s tennis, Princeton, NJ, September 12, 2014

In taking the helm of the Princeton University men’s tennis team three years ago, Billy Pate realized that he was becoming part of something special.

“When I interviewed for the job, I saw that there was such a rich heritage here,” said Pate, who had previously been the head coach at the University of Alabama, where he guided the Crimson Tide to seven NCAA tournament appearances in 10 seasons.

“Men’s tennis is the school’s most successful program, it had the most number of wins (an all-time record of 1,054-398-6  and a .725 winning percentage through 2013-14).”

Upon taking the Princeton job, Pate was determined to add to that history.

“I was looking to restore the program back to the level where it is nationally relevant,” said Pate.

“I thought it was fair to set that as a goal and shoot to be a top 25 program and win Ivy League titles.”

While Princeton hasn’t won an Ivy title yet under Pate, the program is returning to the national stage this weekend as it competes in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998, earning an at-large bid after going 19-7 overall and 4-3 Ivy.

“I think the guys really bought into the vision that we had, we sold them on the idea that we could be at this level,” said Pate, reflecting on the accomplishment.

“We have made progress, we have had some measure of success. We have not gotten everything. We did make it as a high as No. 23 this season. This is still a big step for the program, we have re-established ourselves.”

In its first appearance in the NCAAs this century, 36th-ranked Princeton will face No. 23 Minnesota (20-7) in a first round match on May 8 in Charlottesville, Va. The Tigers will be joined at the site by the 43rd-ranked Princeton women’s team (12-8 overall, 6-1 Ivy), who won the league title and are playing South Carolina (14-10) in a first round contest on May 9. The women’s squad will be looking to build on last year’s NCAA performance, when they topped Arizona State in the opening round for the program’s first-ever win on the tourney.

While the women had a relatively smooth path to the NCAAs, the men’s road to the tourney was a bit bumpy as the Tigers dropped three straight Ivy matches after starting 3-0 in league play, losing 5-2 to Dartmouth, 4-3 to Harvard, and 5-2 to eventual Ivy champ Columbia.

“We knew Harvard and Columbia were going to be tough,” said Pate, noting that both of those teams are in the NCAA field. “We didn’t play well against Dartmouth, we came out flat.”

Showing resilience,  Princeton rebounded by edging Cornell 4-3 in the regular season finale on April 19.

“I told the guys that was the most significant win we have had,” recalled Pate. “It really helped us, it stopped the bleeding. We were probably already in the NCAAs but if we had lost, I would have been really nervous.

The presence of senior Zack McCourt and sophomore Tom Colautti at the top of the Princeton lineup has helped ease Pate’s nerves.

“McCourt and Colautti have been rock solid,” said Pate of the two All-Ivy performers.

“Colautti was 6-1 in the league as a sophomore at No. 2. McCourt has improved a lot over his career. You know everybody is going to be good at No. 1 and 2 so it is really good to have two guys like that.”

The addition of a good group of freshmen in Kial Kaiser, Ben Tso, Diego Vives, and Luke Gamble, has been a big help for the Tigers.

“The guys came in and did a really good job,” added Pate. “We didn’t have to throw them into the fire as much. Last year we had to play the freshmen at 2-3-4, they gained a lot of experience from that. This year, they got experience but weren’t playing too high so they got some wins.”

Pate acknowledges that it is not going to be easy to get a win over Minnesota in the first round match-up. The victor of the match will face the winner of the Virginia-St. John’s first round clash on May 9 for a spot in the Round of 16.

“They are really good; they had a huge year like us in terms of making a step,” said Pate. “They brought in some good new guys and shared the Big 10 title. We match up okay, it is going to be interesting. If we play well, it will be a good match. The match between the two and three seeds is always close. It is usually two even teams.”

As he hones his team for the regional, Pate will be drawing on his experience in Alabama.

“Less is more, we will focus on fitness,” explained Pate. “It is hard to lift in the season and if you are not lifting twice a week, you lose the effect. We will get in two to three lifts a week and will be doing our running. We will be doing some game-planning. I want the guys to be fresh.”

No matter what happens this weekend in Charlottesville, the experience should help lift Princeton closer to its goal of again being a nationally prominent program.

“To advance in the first year, would be great,” said Pate. “If not, it is a next step. You want to play well. If you play well and come up short, that is okay. Losses help you grow. If you don’t play well, it does leave a bitter taste. We are well positioned for the future to build on this and be better.”