“Next man up” is a philosophy constantly preached by coaches at every level in every sport.

This idea that any one team can overcome losing a player just by inserting fresh legs will be a focal point for the Cyclones this season.

The ISU tennis team is facing a crisis with its doubles teams. The Cyclones are not returning a single duo that competed last year and they know just how crucial winning the doubles points are for their team.

“It’s going to be very important for us to continue to win doubles,” said ISU head coach Armando Espinosa. “Last year, whenever we won the doubles point, we would win the match. And when we lost the point, we usually dropped the match.”

The Cyclones aren’t completely lost when it comes to doubles pairs. They have two returning major players, one of which, Samantha Budai, a member of their most successful tandem last year, where she finished 8-10.

But Budai will have a different partner than she is used to this season.

“It’s going to be challenging to adapt to a new partner,” Budai said. “I was with [Ksenia Pronina] my whole time here, but I think we have a team that really loves doubles and can make it work.”

Since only parts of the doubles units are returning, it will be up to Espinosa to put the pieces back together to form a working set of teams. Luckily, many of the returning players are upperclassmen who have significant experience.

That, coupled with talented youth, could give the team the parts it needs to succeed.

Another positive aspect of the doubles openings is the opportunity to give younger players a chance to get some much needed exposure. Almost every spot is up for grabs, and this competition is the kind of thing that could cultivate some of the young potential.

One of the younger players looking to benefit is Liza Buss, an incoming freshman from Togliatti, Russia. Buss was a top-ranked doubles player in Russia and accumulated many accolades, including 15 state championships and a runner-up finish in the Russian 18U National Doubles Championship.

“I’m very excited because I’ve always loved playing doubles,” Buss said. “We have a lot of players here who also love it, so I can see coach having a difficult time deciding who to play.”

Espinosa has taken a fundamental approach to the situation to make sure whoever he plays will be comfortable in the doubles format. He has constantly stressed the fundamentals of the game to everyone to make the adjustment that much easier for the new potential teams.

“We want to make sure they all know what to expect in terms of shot selection and trust with their partners,” Espinosa said. “If you are doing the right things and your partner is setting you up, anyone can shine as a doubles player.”

The Cyclones have plenty of time before their first match at the Gopher Invitational on Sept. 25, but it will be a tough hill to climb putting together a doubles roster from scratch.