The matches won were few and far between for the men’s tennis team this weekend, but head coach Dann Nelson said he is not worried.

The Salukis took part in the Middle Tennessee State University Dale Short Shootout tournament in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Friday through Sunday. Only five match victories were recorded for the Salukis, but the competition was notably aggressive. Nelson said the University of Alabama-Birmingham, University of Memphis and MTSU provided the Salukis with an opportunity to gauge the team’s progress thus far.

“We have four new players in the lineup this year,” Nelson said. “Now we know what we need to do to get better.”

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Nelson said the stats may not indicate many highlights; however there were things he saw on the court that he liked.

Senior Stanislas Rodier played in his first competitive match since May 2010 before he transferred to SIU from Tyler Junior College in Texas.

Rodier won his first match in two sets, but lost his next two matches, both in three sets. Rodier said he was ready to get back on the court.

“I think I fought hard to win, so I was happy about that,” Rodier said.

The only other Saluki to post a victory in singles play was junior Jordan Snyder, who defeated his UAB opponent Sunday in two sets.

Sophomore Jorge Cavero did not post a win but took the 115th ranked player in the NCAA all the way to three sets before he lost 3-6 in the final set.

Cavero said he has to work on several things, but not so much in regards to his physical performance.

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“I need to keep my mental strength when the match gets close and try to finish with a win,” Cavero said.

Nelson said he was also impressed with the team in doubles action. The Salukis posted one doubles victory Friday as well as two more Sunday. Cavero and Badr Cherradi won their match Friday with a score of 9-7 against MTSU, while the pairings of Rodier and senior Brandon Florez, and freshman Martijn Admiraal and freshman Szymon Opieczonek won Sunday against UAB.

“Rodier and Florez really played well in their doubles match-up,” Nelson said. “That really stood out to me.”

Nelson said he was encouraged by his team’s effort and thinks most of their corrections will revolve around fitness.

“When guys would get into a third set, you could tell they were tired,” Nelson said. “For the most part though, the effort was obviously there.”

The Salukis travel to Tulsa, Okla., to compete in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American tournament set to begin Saturday and conclude Tuesday.