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Doubles often sets the tone for college dual matches. In the NCAA Division I, whichever team wins two of three doubles matches gains one point. Division III teams, on the other hand, can take a 3-0 lead by sweeping the doubles. Regardless of the scoring format, doubles teams are an important part of the season.

We put the question to a panel of coaches:

Q) What factors go into setting your doubles pairings? How much do you change your pairings throughout the year?

George Husack, head coach, Alabama Men

We definitely want the players to complement each other physically, mentally and tactically. I look at personalities and do my best to find a pair that feed off of each other. I also need to think about their strengths. This year, I paired a very good returner and groundstrokes player who had an average serve with a powerful server and net mover. They were different personality-wise - with the returner being more subdued and calm, while the powerful player was much more vocal. It took plenty of conversations with each of them - and the other two pairings - to fine the right fit across the board.

Our doubles teams stayed intact for the entire season (which is usually the case unless one team is struggling). We won at least 20 doubles points in our matches, and that was big when it came to winning matches. Our No. 1 team finished first in the Southern Region and No. 6 in the country, qualifying for the NCAA Championships and being awarded All-America honors. The other two teams were equally impressive with their wins and contributions. Communication is huge.

While each player may think they know how to play the game, it really comes down to how well they feed off of each other's makes and misses - as well as their playing styles and personalities.