Building belief can take many forms and much time, with progress hard to measure.
Sometimes a loss or two helps.
Wichita State's men's tennis team begins play in the American Athletic Championships on Thursday against fourth-seeded Memphis (9-7) at the USTA National Campus in Orlando. The Shockers are No. 33 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings which puts them in good shape to grab an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, if needed.
Wichita State (14-7) is seeded fifth in the American and defeated Memphis, ranked No. 32 nationally, 5-1 earlier this season.
The Shockers expect to play in the NCAA's for the first time since 2016.