Most teams respond to a decisive loss with denial, anger or doubt. But Wright State isn’t like most teams. After losing every singles and doubles match in straight sets to Louisville (15-8) on Thursday, the Raiders (15-4) stayed confident. “It’s a big school and it was their senior day, so there was a lot of pressure coming from that aspect,” said sophomore Michal Lyzwa. “The competition was tough, but I think on a different day and with more experience on that level, it would have been much more competitive.” The thirty-fifth ranked Cardinals offered a step up from the Raiders’ usual competition. As WSU fights for the Horizon League crown, the knowledge they gained from defeat could prove as valuable as any victory. “It gives you more ground to work on because you see how much you can improve,” said Lyzwa. “It’s an eye-opener, but you can take a lot of confidence out of it.” Two days later, that confidence was on full-display. WSU thrashed rival Butler (3-17) on Saturday and dropped only one match in the process. Martin Arguello notched a straight-sets win (6-4, 7-6) over Butler’s Austin Woldmoe, while teammate Hayden Joblin defeated Tommy Marx in a tight three-setter (3-6, 6-2, 6-4). Lyzwa exemplified the team’s attitude towards the Louisville loss in his match. After dropping the first set 6-1 to Zach Ervin, Lyzwa didn’t lose confidence and won the second set 6-3 before closing out the match in a final-set tiebreak. “We didn’t leave Louisville in a bad state of mind,” said Lyzwa. “Everyone was focused, everyone was determined on the Horizon League. It was a convincing win, and it was nice to come out and compete on a really high level.” No matter where each program lies in the standings, Lyzwa admits beating Butler is always a joy. “It’s really satisfying, not only for us, but for our students because Butler’s always been our rival on every sports ground,” Lyzwa said. Undefeated in league play (4-0), the Raiders are one of the front-runners to win the conference. But Lyzwa and his teammates realize how much work is left to reach the goal of a conference championship. “We still have to be mindful of the fact that we have three very tough matches coming up,” said Lyzwa. “But we have a lot of confidence, and it just shows we’ve had a very good season.” This weekend, WSU plays one of their most important series of the year: a meeting with Green Bay. “We have to go in focused as if we were playing any other team and just give it our all,” said Lyzwa. “It might be a decisive one to see who claims top spot.” With first-place on the line, confidence won’t be an issue for the Raiders.
