The Red and Black

Issue date: 3/28/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: NICK PASSARELLO Sophomore Adrienne Elsberry has played in every dual match for the tennis team this season, and is preparing to face Alabama and Auburn. [Click to enlarge]

The bottom of "the pit" isn't the most glamorous spot to be in.

But that's perfectly fine to sophomore Adrienne Elsberry as long as the Athens native can contribute a point each time she plays at her No. 6 singles spot for the Georgia women's tennis team.

"A lot of matches come down to 4, 5 and 6," Elsberry said. "It can be pretty nerve-wracking going into it. It is good when the team is deep."

"The pit" includes the lower three courts at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. While the fans get clear views of the action on the top three courts, there are no bleachers that overlook the matches in "the pit."

But what separates good collegiate tennis teams from great ones lies in those bottom three spots.

"Playing down on 4, 5 and 6 is huge" head coach Jeff Wallace said. "Every match counts as a point and we want to get four every time we play."

Elsberry has played in every dual match this season at the No. 6 spot after competing in only three dual matches last year. Moving from spectator to competitor was tough at the beginning, but Elsberry said it's become a little easier as the season has progressed.

"At first I was nervous, but now I've gained a lot of confidence in the SEC matches," she said.

That confidence emerged during Georgia's 5-2 loss against Florida. Elsberry played Florida's No. 89 Anastasia Revzina, who played No. 2 singles for the Gators last year. Heading into the match, Elsberry didn't think she had much of a shot.

But as the match went on, her confidence picked up.

"I realized she wasn't that much better than me and that it was going to come down to who wanted it more," Elsberry said. "From then on, I've played with a lot of confidence."

Although Elsberry lost to Revzina 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, she's become more confident since then.

Elsberry reeled off four straight matches after the Florida loss to improve her record to 23-9.

"I feel like through the first quarter or first third of the season it was new for her to be a regular in singles and doubles," Wallace said. "Then halfway through the year she's gotten better and started feeling more comfortable."

Sophomore Naoko Ueshima said that with Elsberry contributing in "the pit," it shows how deep his team is.

"The numbers are lower in the pit but it's the same amount for all the girls," said Ueshima, who played No. 6 last year. "It's an important spot on the court. Adrienne's a great competitor and she's doing real well."

Elsberry said it took a great deal of time to gain her newfound swagger.

"It was tough sitting out most of last year and then coming in this year," she said. "You gain your confidence as the year goes on."

Elsberry will look to win her fifth straight match in a row as the Bulldogs

host Alabama at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex today at 4 p.m.

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