Challenge match policies are also extremely important. My essential

guidelines:

• Challenge matches earn you a spot in the lineup, match play

preserves the spot. These are perhaps the grimmest matches in

college tennis. (One of my players always lost.)

• The two most important challenge matches were between number

six and number seven (determines if you start) and number eight

and number nine (determines if you travel with the team). The coach

should always witness these matches.