Keys secure the doors behind which our most prized possessions are stored away from the world.

They lock our cars, homes and safes.

But keys are also what we use to access these things when we need to use what is behind these doors.

The Georgia men’s tennis team enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 4 seed with a fiery motivation to accomplish what no team has done in 11 years: win three national championships in a row.

The Bulldogs’ keys to victory have potential to unlock a new milestone as they sit undisturbed behind a proverbial door cloaked by 63 other teams vying for the same trophy.

1) “Let it rip”: Georgia tennis coach Manuel Diaz has seen a downfall in the Bulldogs’ infamous aggressive and commanding style of play of late. Knowing the type of competition that lies ahead in the NCAA Tournament, the coach has been adamant about his athletes performing in the manner he knows they can perform.

“I think we got a little careful, and lost a couple spots where we just played too safe. We just need to get out there and let it rip a little bit,” Diaz said.

2) Don’t look to Illinois: In a sport in which teams are top-heavy in ability, Georgia will do its best to focus on its regional instead of looking toward Illinois.

After the tournament draw was released Tuesday, sophomore Javier Garrapiz said he wasn’t too concerned about the bracket – when asked to fill one out.

“I don’t want to look to see who we’re playing in the round of 16 or the quarterfinals,” Garrapiz said. “I want to go match by match by match.”

If Georgia gets past South Carolina State Saturday on May 8, it will play the winner of Virginia Tech and UNC-Wilmington. If seeds hold, the fourth-seeded Bulldogs will matchup against 13-seed Illinois.

“They’re a good team, but everybody’s good now,” senior captain Josh Varela said. “So, we’ve got to take it one match at a time, and if we play Illinois, hopefully we’re prepared and can take them out.”

3) Double the fun: While the Bulldogs have made strong showings in doubles this season, there have been some slip ups as of late.

In their last five matches, the Bulldogs have dropped the doubles point four times, with the No. 2 doubles team losing all five of those matches.

“I think we need to do a little bit better than we’ve done lately in doubles. There’s no doubt that in a key match that [the doubles point] is going to be the difference,” Diaz said. “We got to get a little bit more focused and more aggressive in our doubles play.”

4) Courts 1 and 3: For Georgia to make a deep run, it will need Nate Schnugg and Jamie Hunt to grab key matches on courts 1 and 3.

In Hunt’s last three matches on court 3, he has lost one in two sets and didn’t complete the other two. Schnugg has compiled an 18-6 record on court 1, but in two of the junior’s last three matches, he has lost to the same opponent in Tennessee’s John Patrick-Smith.

“They’ll work it out. They didn’t have the SEC Tournament they wanted, but they’ve been working hard,” Varela said. “We know we need them, but they’ll be fine. They’ll do just fine.”

5) Revert to old ways: This is a case when relapsing is OK.

Georgia has won the last two national championships, but doesn’t have Luis Flores and Travis Helgeson around as it did the last two seasons.

But even without them, the Bulldogs are going to need a similar mindset if they want to vie for a third straight national title.

And like last year, the Bulldogs enter the NCAA Tournament in a similar position – losing in the SEC semifinals and earning a No. 4 seed. Even though Georgia is coming off a loss, Garrapiz said the team is still peaking at the right time.

“We’re playing good, we are working so hard for it,” he said. “I think if we keep working hard for NCAAs we’re going to have a good showing there. But that’s all man, we just have to go there and act like we’re the best team in the country.”